Method for controlling information apparatus and computer-readable recording medium

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure is a method for controlling an information apparatus having a third display and being used in an information management system, the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to: display a display screen representing at least one floor plan of a building on the third display; display device icons representing target devices including a first target device and a second target device on the display screen, the device icons being movable by dragging the device icons; and when it is sensed that a device icon representing the second target device is dropped on a device icon representing the first target device, output to the information management system a first control command for displaying a confirmation screen on a first display of the first target device, the confirmation screen being for confirmation of a state of the second target device.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling aninformation apparatus and a computer-readable recording medium.

BACKGROUND ART

Technologies for remotely monitoring or remotely controlling targetdevices using one remote controller are proposed.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for remotely operating targetdevices from a monitor of a television set. Specifically, icons for thetarget devices are displayed on the right side of a monitor screen. Whena desired one of the icons is selected (i), a floor plan is displayed onthe left side of the monitor screen (ii). When a pointer is moved to thelocation of installation of a target device desired to be operated inthe floor plan (iii), an operation screen for the target device selectedby moving the pointer is displayed on the monitor screen (iv)(paragraphs [0138] to [0140] and FIGS. 25A and 25B).

Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for controlling target devicesusing a single remote controller. Specifically, a floor plan of eachroom and the condition within the room are displayed on a liquid crystalmonitor of the remote controller. For example, the liquid crystalmonitor displays a illumination mark displayed in the case where anillumination device of a certain room is turned on, a room temperaturemark that indicates the current temperature of a certain room, a lockmark in the shape of a hatched window displayed in the case where awindow of a certain room is locked, a device/facility mark thatindicates the status or the like of a control target object, a mark thatindicates the amount of hot water in the case where the control targetis a bath, and so forth (paragraphs [0037] to [0041] and FIG. 6).

Patent Document 3 relates to a technology for remotely controlling andremotely monitoring open/close operation and the state of an electricbuilding material (such as a hallway door or a skylight). Specifically,a monitor screen of a personal computer displays floor plans for firstand second floors of a property, a picture of the electric buildingmaterial (such as a hallway door or a skylight) and a state display iconthat indicates the open/close state of the electric building materialare displayed at the corresponding position on the floor plans. When thestate display icon is selected, an operation screen for the selectedelectric building material is displayed in another window. The operationscreen includes an open operation button, a close operation button, anoperation monitor screen, and a button for hiding the operation screen(paragraph [0025] and FIGS. 4, 5, and 6).

Patent Document 4 discloses a user interface including a floor plan andan icon. Examples of the icon include an icon representing a receptacle,an icon representing a digital image frame, and an icon representing anillumination device (FIGS. 7 and 8B).

Patent Document 5 discloses a user interface of an illumination system.When an icon associated with a certain light source is dragged into atarget region on a screen and moved toward the center of the targetregion, the intensity of light from the corresponding light source isincreased.

However, Patent Documents 1 to 5 described above need a furtherimprovement.

-   Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.    2007-104567-   Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.    2000-138979-   Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No.    2009-213107-   Patent Document 4: U.S. Pat. No. 7,730,223-   Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent No. 5128489

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one general aspect, the techniques disclosed here feature a methodfor controlling an information apparatus connected to a network, a firsttarget device and a second target device being controlled over thenetwork, the first target device having a first display, the secondtarget device having no display or having a second display which issmaller in display area than the first display, the informationapparatus having a third display and being used in an informationmanagement system which manages information indicating a state of thesecond target device,

the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing at least one floor plan of abuilding on the third display;

display device icons representing target devices including the firsttarget device and the second target device on the display screenrepresenting the at least one floor plan, the device icons being movableby dragging the device icons; and

when it is sensed that a device icon representing the second targetdevice is dropped on a device icon representing the first target device,output to the information management system a first control command fordisplaying a confirmation screen on the first display of the firsttarget device, the confirmation screen being for confirmation of thestate of the second target device.

According to the aspect described above, it is possible to embody afurther improvement. These general and specific aspects may beimplemented using a system, a method, and a computer program, and anycombination of systems, methods, and computer programs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home controlsystem to which a home controller according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure is applied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing main devices to be controlled by the homecontroller according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the homecontroller, a device. and a server according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the form ofimplementation of the home controller according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen of thehome controller according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a floor plan according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the floor plan includingarrangement information for device icons as texts according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the floor plan includingarrangement information for device icons as images according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the floor plan includingarrangement information for device icons as images according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of transition between a firstfloor display state and a second floor display state of the basic screenof the home controller according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the display state of adevice control screen of the home controller according to the embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a device icon arrangement example of thedisplay state of the device control screen of the home controlleraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of the display state of adevice control screen of the home controller according to the embodimentof the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a device icon arrangement example of thedisplay state of the device control screen of the home controlleraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a device icon arrangement example of thedisplay state of the device control screen of the home controlleraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing a device icon arrangement example of thedisplay state of the device control screen of the home controlleraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 17A and B are diagrams showing a configuration example of thedisplay state of the device control screen of the home controlleraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of transition between the basicscreen of the home controller and the display state of the devicecontrol screen according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of transition between the secondfloor display state of the basic screen of the home controller and thedisplay state of the device control screen for the second flooraccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an example of transition from the displaystate of the device control screen of a certain device to the displaystate of the device control screen of another device according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of transition between thedisplay state and the hidden state of the device control screen of thehome controller according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing an example of an animation for transitionfrom the basic screen of the home controller to the display state of thedevice control screen according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an example of an animation for transitionfrom the basic screen of the home controller to the display state of thedevice control screen according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device icon listdisplay screen of the home controller according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing an example of transition between the basicscreen of the home controller and the device icon list display screenaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing an example of transition between the deviceicon list display screen of the home controller and the display state ofthe device control screen according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of transition between the basicscreen of the home controller and the display state of the devicecontrol screen according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing how the home controller successivelytransitions among the display states of the device control screens fordifferent devices according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of display on the basic screenof devices that cannot be detected on a network according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing the configuration of home informationaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing the configuration of vertex informationaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the configuration of room informationaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence betweenthe vertex information and the floor plan for the first floor accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list managedby the server according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list managedby the home controller according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 36 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to acquire the home information from the server according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 37 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to detect a device on a network when the home controller isconnected to the network according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 38 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to detect a device on a network when the device is connectedto the network according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 39A is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to control a device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 39B is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to control a device according to the embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to generate a control command for a device in accordance withthe content of a contact by a contacting object according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 41 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to transmit a control command according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 42 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to directly control a device according to the embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 43 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to control a device by way of the server according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 44 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to acquire the state of a device from the server according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 45 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to directly control devices in the case where the homecontroller controls a plurality of devices with one operation accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 46 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to control devices by way of the server in the case where thehome controller controls a plurality of devices with one operationaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 47 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to control devices by way of the server in the case where thehome controller controls a plurality of devices with one operationaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 48 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for a casewhere a device icon is moved in the home controller according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 49 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for updatingthe device lists of the home controller and the server according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 50 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for updatingthe device lists of the home controller and the server according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 51 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for updatingthe device lists of the home controller and the server according to theembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 52 is a diagram showing a floor plan in another pattern accordingto the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 53 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen thatadopts the floor plan shown in FIG. 52.

FIG. 54 is a diagram showing the display state of a device controlscreen for a case where the floor plan shown in FIG. 52 is adopted.

FIG. 55 is a diagram illustrating transition between the display stateof the basic screen and the display state of the device control screen.

FIG. 56 is a diagram showing the configuration of a floor plan in whichthe size of each room is varied in accordance with the actual room sizein the floor plan shown in FIG. 52.

FIG. 57 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen thatadopts the floor plan shown in FIG. 56.

FIG. 58 is a diagram showing the display state of a device controlscreen for a case where the floor plan shown in FIG. 56 is adopted asthe floor plan.

FIG. 59 is a diagram showing a floor plan in still another patternaccording to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 60 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen thatadopts the floor plan shown in FIG. 59.

FIG. 61 is a diagram showing the display state of a device controlscreen for a case where the floor plan shown in FIG. 59 is adopted.

FIG. 62 is a diagram showing a floor plan displayed on a display in thecase where a user performs a pinch-out operation on a room in the floorplan shown in FIG. 59.

FIG. 63 is a diagram showing the display state of a device controlscreen in the floor plan displayed as enlarged shown in FIG. 62.

FIG. 64 is a diagram showing screen transition from the display state ofthe basic screen to the display state of the device control screen.

FIG. 65 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen whichadopts the floor plan shown in FIG. 59 and in which device icons are notdisplayed.

FIG. 66 is a diagram showing screen transition from the display state ofthe basic screen to the display state of the device control screen for acase where the basic screen in which device icons are not displayed isadopted.

FIG. 67 is a diagram showing the configuration of the home informationfor a case where the floor plan shown in FIG. 52 is adopted.

FIG. 68 is a diagram showing the configuration of room information shownin FIG. 67.

FIG. 69 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence betweenthe display position in the room information shown in FIG. 67 and thefloor plan.

FIG. 70 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list managedby the server for a case where the floor plan shown in FIG. 52 isadopted.

FIG. 71 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list managedby the home controller for a case where the floor plan shown in FIG. 52is adopted.

FIG. 72 is a diagram showing an example of the basic screen displayed onthe display of the home controller.

FIG. 73 is a diagram showing the sequence of operation for displayingthe state confirmation screen.

FIG. 74 is a diagram showing an operation example for displaying thestate confirmation screen on the display of the home controller and thedisplay of the television set.

FIG. 75 is a diagram showing the sequence of operation for terminatingdisplay of the state confirmation screen.

FIG. 76 is a diagram showing an operation example for terminatingdisplay of the state confirmation screen.

FIG. 77 is a diagram showing information stored in the storage sectionof the home controller.

FIG. 78 is a diagram showing information stored in the storage sectionof the server.

FIG. 79 is a diagram showing a display example of a device icon for thedevice, for which the cooperation type is “unable to cooperate”.

FIG. 80 is a diagram showing a display example for a case where thedevice icon to be dragged passes through the device icon for the deviceother than the first device.

FIG. 81 is a diagram showing a display example for a case where thedevice corresponding to the device icon on which the device icon isdropped is not the first device.

FIG. 82 is a diagram showing another display example for a case wherethe device corresponding to the device icon on which the device icon isdropped is not the first device.

FIG. 83 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller to control display of the state confirmation screen.

FIG. 84 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process of the homecontroller display control process sub routine of FIG. 83.

FIG. 85 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process of theunable-to-cooperate display process sub routine of FIG. 83.

FIG. 86A and FIG. 86B are flowcharts showing the flow of a process ofthe state confirmation screen display control process sub routine ofFIG. 83.

FIG. 87 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the server tocontrol display of the state confirmation screen.

FIG. 88 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the televisionset to display the state confirmation screen.

FIG. 89 is a diagram showing an operation example for a device icon fora case where the floor plan described with reference to FIG. 52 is used.

FIG. 90 is a diagram showing another example of the sequence ofoperation for displaying the state confirmation screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(Story Before Inventing Aspect According to Present Disclosure)

First, the point of view of an aspect according to the presentdisclosure will be described.

In Patent Document 1 described above, icons for target devices aredisplayed on the right side of a monitor screen, and a floor plan isdisplayed on the left side of the monitor screen. That is, the icons forthe target devices and the floor plan are displayed separately from eachother, and the icons for the target devices are not movable. Therefore,the location of installation of a target device desired to be operatedin the floor plan is designated by moving a pointer. Then, an operationscreen is displayed.

In Patent Document 1 described above, because of the configurationdescribed above, the number of operation steps to be taken to display anoperation screen for a desired target device is large, from (i) to (iv)described above. Therefore, when target devices are remotely monitoredor remotely controlled using one remote controller, the operation steps(i) to (iv) described above are required to operate each target device,which complicates operation. This requires a larger number of processsteps to be taken by a mobile information terminal before a desiredtarget device among the target devices is operated simply because remotecontrollers for the target devices are integrated into one, whichrequires a larger number of process operations to be performed by auser.

Patent Document 2 described above describes only displaying the state ofeach target device, and does not describe at all remotely controllingoperation of each target device. Therefore, although the target devicescan be remotely monitored using one remote controller, the one or moretarget devices cannot be controlled.

In Patent Document 3 described above, open/close operation and the stateof an electric building material (such as a hallway door or a skylight)are remotely controlled and remotely monitored using a personalcomputer. However, the content of the remote control is just simplecontrol of open/close operation.

In Patent Document 4 described above, for example, an operation screenfor an illumination device, or an operation screen for a digital imageframe, is merely simply displayed (FIG. 8B).

Patent Document 5 described above merely discloses that an icon is movedfrom the outside of a target region to the inside of the target regionto control an illumination device in a room corresponding to the targetregion.

Based on the considerations described above, the inventors haveconceived various aspects of the present disclosure to be describedbelow.

An aspect of the present disclosure is

a method for controlling an information apparatus connected to anetwork, a first target device and a second target device beingcontrolled over the network, the first target device having a firstdisplay, the second target device having no display or having a seconddisplay which is smaller in display area than the first display, theinformation apparatus having a third display and being used in aninformation management system which manages information indicating astate of the second target device,

the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing at least one floor plan of abuilding on the third display;

display device icons representing target devices including the firsttarget device and the second target device on the display screenrepresenting the at least one floor plan, the device icons being movableby dragging the device icons; and

when it is sensed that a device icon representing the second targetdevice is dropped on a device icon representing the first target device,output to the information management system a first control command fordisplaying a confirmation screen on the first display of the firsttarget device, the confirmation screen being for confirmation of thestate of the second target device.

Consequently, the state of the second target device can be confirmed onthe first display of the first target device having the first display,rather than on the third display of the information apparatus.Therefore, even in a case where the display area of the third display ofthe information apparatus is small, for example, the first display ofthe first target device with a larger display area can be utilized.

In addition, only an operation of dropping the device icon representingthe second target device on the device icon representing the firsttarget device is required, and an operation screen for utilizing thefirst display of the first target device with a larger display area isnot separately provided. Therefore, it is possible to omit a pluralityof steps to be taken to display an operation screen separately from thefloor plan in order to display the confirmation screen for confirmationof the state of the second target device on the first display of thefirst target device with a larger display area, and to reduce the numberof process steps to be performed within the information apparatus or thenumber of operations to be performed by the user.

As a result, it is possible to reduce both the number of processes to beperformed within the information apparatus and the number of operationsto be performed by the user and reduce the time before a desiredconfirmation screen for confirmation of the state of the second targetdevice is displayed when remote controllers for the plurality of targetdevices are integrated into one.

In addition, as described above, the confirmation screen forconfirmation of the state of the second target device is displayed onthe first display of the first target device with a larger display areausing the floor plan itself as an operation screen. Thus, by effectivelyexploiting the display resource being displayed already, it is possibleto prevent complication of operations due to a need to display anoperation screen for implementing each function since remote controllersfor the plurality of target devices are integrated into one.

In the aspect described above, for example, when it is not sensed thatthe device icon representing the second target device is dropped on thedevice icon representing the first target device, and when it is sensedthat the device icon representing the second target device is selected,

the information indicating the state of the second target device may bereceived from the information management system, and

the confirmation screen may be displayed on the third display asoverlapped on the display screen representing the at least one floorplan.

When selection of the device icon representing the second target deviceis sensed, for example, the confirmation screen can be displayed notonly on the first display of the first target device but also on thethird display as overlapped on the display screen representing the floorplan.

In the aspect described above, for example, in a case where the secondtarget device and the first target device cooperate with each other andthe confirmation screen can be displayed on the first display of thefirst target device, when it is sensed that the device icon representingthe second target device is selected, display of an other device iconwhich is other than the device icon representing the first target deviceand the device icon representing the second target device may be changedto display which is darker than display of the device icon representingthe first target device and the device icon representing the secondtarget device.

In a case where the second target device cooperates with the firsttarget device, for example, display of an other device icon other thanthe device icon representing the first target device and the device iconrepresenting the second target device is changed to display which isdarker than display of the device icon representing the first targetdevice and the device icon representing the second target device whenselection of the device icon representing the second target device issensed.

Consequently, it is possible to preliminarily prevent an erroneousoperation by the user in which the device icon representing the secondtarget device is erroneously dropped on the device icon other than thedevice icon representing the first target device.

In the aspect described above, for example, when it is sensed that thedevice icon representing the second target device is dropped on theother device icon, display of the device icon representing the secondtarget device may be changed to darker display as with the display ofthe other device icon.

Consequently, it is possible to conveniently inform the user that thedevice icon representing the second target device is erroneously droppedon the device icon other than the device icon representing the firsttarget device.

In the aspect described above, for example, in a case where the secondtarget device and the first target device do not cooperate with eachother and the confirmation screen cannot be displayed on the firstdisplay of the first target device, when it is sensed that selection ofthe device icon representing the second target device is continued fornot less than a predetermined time, display of the device iconrepresenting the second target device may be changed to display which isdarker than display of an other device icon which is other than thedevice icon representing the second target device.

In a case where the second target device does not cooperate with thefirst target device, for example, the user can be informed, byexploiting the existing display resource, that the confirmation screenis not displayed on the first display of the first target device, evenif the device icon representing the second target device is dropped onthe device icon representing the first target device, before the deviceicon representing the second target device is dropped on the device iconrepresenting the first target device.

Therefore, a plurality of steps can be omitted since it is not necessaryto prepare a separate display screen for showing that the confirmationscreen is not displayed on the first display of the first target device,and to reduce the number of process steps to be performed within theinformation apparatus or the number of operations to be performed by theuser.

In addition, it is possible to preliminarily prevent an erroneousoperation in which the device icon representing the second target deviceis dropped on the device icon representing the first target device in acase where the confirmation screen is not displayed on the first displayof the first target device.

In the aspect described above, for example, in a case where the secondtarget device and the first target device do not cooperate with eachother and the confirmation screen cannot be displayed on the firstdisplay of the first target device, when it is judged that a time ofsensing selection of the device icon representing the second targetdevice is less than the predetermined time,

the information indicating the state of the second target device may bereceived from the information management system, and

the confirmation screen may be displayed on the third display asoverlapped on the display screen representing the at least one floorplan.

In this case, in a case where the second target device and the firsttarget device do not cooperate with each other and the confirmationscreen cannot be displayed on the first display of the first targetdevice, for example, the confirmation screen can be displayed on thethird display, rather than on the first display of the first targetdevice, in a case where it is judged that selection of the device iconrepresenting the second target device is not performed by, what iscalled, long-pressing the device icon.

In the aspect described above, for example, when it is sensed that thedevice icon representing the second target device is dropped on a deviceicon, which is other than the device icon representing the first targetdevice, the device icon representing the second target device may beretracted to a location outside a display region of the device iconrepresenting the first target device on which the device iconrepresenting the second target device is dropped.

The user can be informed, by exploiting the existing display resource,that the confirmation screen is not displayed on the first display ofthe first target device, even if the device icon representing the secondtarget device is dropped on the device icon other than the device iconrepresenting the first target device, for example, by retracting thedevice icon representing the second target device to a location outsidethe display region of the device icon, which is other than the deviceicon representing the first target device and on which the device iconrepresenting the second target device is dropped.

Therefore, a plurality of steps can be omitted since it is not necessaryto prepare a separate display screen for showing that the confirmationscreen is not displayed on the first display of the first target device,and to reduce the number of process steps to be performed within theinformation apparatus or the number of operations to be performed by theuser.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from repeatedlyperforming an erroneous operation in which the device icon representingthe second target device is dropped on the device icon other than thedevice icon representing the first target device.

In the aspect described above, for example, when it is sensed that thedevice icon representing the second target device is dropped on thedevice icon which is other than the device icon representing the firsttarget device, the device icon representing the second target device maybe retracted to an original display position of the device iconrepresenting the second target device.

The user can be informed, by exploiting the existing display resource,that the confirmation screen is not displayed on the first display ofthe first target device, even if the device icon representing the secondtarget device is dropped on the device icon other than the device iconrepresenting the first target device, for example, by retracting thedevice icon representing the second target device to the originaldisplay position.

Therefore, a plurality of steps can be omitted since it is not necessaryto prepare a separate display screen for showing that the confirmationscreen is not displayed on the first display of the first target device,and to reduce the number of process steps to be performed within theinformation apparatus or the number of operations to be performed by theuser.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the user from repeatedlyperforming an erroneous operation in which the device icon representingthe second target device is dropped on the device icon other than thedevice icon representing the first target device.

In the aspect described above, for example, in a case where the secondtarget device and the first target device cooperate with each other andthe confirmation screen can be displayed on the first display of thefirst target device, when it is sensed that selection of the device iconrepresenting the second target device is continued for not less than apredetermined time, display of an other device icon other than thedevice icon representing the first target device and the device iconrepresenting the second target device may be changed to display which isdarker than display of the device icon representing the first targetdevice and the device icon representing the second target device.

In a case where the second target device and the first target devicecooperate with each other, for example, display of the device icon otherthan the device icon representing the first target device and the deviceicon representing the second target device is changed to display whichis darker than display of the device icon representing the first targetdevice and the device icon representing the second target device by,what is called, long-pressing the device icon representing the secondtarget device.

Consequently, it is possible to preliminarily prevent an erroneousoperation by the user in which the device icon representing the secondtarget device is erroneously dropped on the device icon other than thedevice icon representing the first target device.

In the aspect described above, for example, in a case where the secondtarget device and the first target device cooperate with each other andthe confirmation screen can be displayed on the first display of thefirst target device, when it is judged that a time of sensing selectionof the device icon representing the second target device is less thanthe predetermined time,

the information indicating the state of the second target device may bereceived from the information management system, and

the confirmation screen may be displayed on the third display asoverlapped on the display screen representing the at least one floorplan.

In a case where a time of sensing selection of the device iconrepresenting the second target device is less than the predeterminedtime, for example, the confirmation screen is displayed on the thirddisplay as overlapped on the display screen representing the floor plan.

Consequently, in a case where it is desired to confirm the state of thesecond target device, the device icon representing the second targetdevice may be tapped on, rather than being long-pressed.

In the aspect described above, for example, in a case where the firsttarget device is not turned on when the first control command is outputto the information management system, a second control command forturning on the first target device may be output to the informationmanagement system.

In a case where it is desired to confirm the state of the second targetdevice using the first display of the first target device, for example,a second control command for turning on the first target device is alsooutput to the information management system in a case where the firsttarget device is not turned on.

Consequently, an operation of dropping the device icon representing thesecond target device on the device icon representing the first targetdevice also serves as an operation for turning on the first targetdevice. Thus, there is no need to separately perform an operation forturning on the first target device.

This reduces the number of process steps to be performed within theinformation apparatus or the number of operations to be performed by theuser.

As a result, it is possible to reduce both the number of processes to beperformed within the information apparatus and the number of operationsto be performed by the user, and to reduce the time before a desiredconfirmation screen for confirmation of the state of the second targetdevice is displayed when remote controllers for the plurality of targetdevices are integrated into one.

In the aspect described above, for example, the information indicatingthe state of the second target device may include log informationrelated to a use history of the second target device.

Consequently, the log information related to the use history of thesecond target device can be confirmed on the first display of the firsttarget device.

In the aspect described above, for example, the information indicatingthe state of the second target device may include information indicatinga consumed electric power amount of the second target device.

Consequently, the consumed electric power amount of the second targetdevice can be confirmed on the first display of the first target device.

In the aspect described above, for example, in displaying theconfirmation screen on the third display as overlapped on the displayscreen, display of the display screen may be changed to display which isdarker than display of the confirmation screen.

Consequently, it is possible to prevent the floor plan from obstructingthe user viewing the confirmation screen.

In the aspect described above, for example, when it is sensed that alocation outside a region of the confirmation screen is selected,display of the confirmation screen may be erased, and the display screenmay be changed to display with original brightness.

Consequently, the original display screen can be restored by exploitingthe existing display resource.

In the aspect described above, for example, the first target device maybe a television set.

In the aspect described above, for example, the second target device mayinclude one of a refrigerator, an illumination device, an airconditioner, and a washing machine.

In the aspect described above, for example, the third display may be atouch panel display, and the device icon may be dragged when contact onthe touch panel display is sensed.

In the aspect described above, for example, the device icon may bedragged by clicking a mouse pointer.

Another aspect of the present disclosure is

a method for controlling an information apparatus connected to anetwork, a first target device and a second target device beingcontrolled over the network, the first target device having a firstdisplay, the second target device having no display or having a seconddisplay which is smaller in display area than the first display, theinformation apparatus having a third display and being used in aninformation management system which manages information indicating astate of the second target device,

the method causing a computer of the information apparatus to:

display a display screen representing at least one floor plan of abuilding on the third display;

display device icons representing target devices including the firsttarget device and the second target device on the display screenrepresenting the at least one floor plan, the device icons being movableby dragging the device icons;

judge whether a device icon representing the second target device isdropped on a device icon representing the first target device, orwhether it is sensed that the device icon representing the second targetdevice is selected;

in a case where it is judged that the device icon representing thesecond target device is dropped on the device icon representing thefirst target device, output to the information management system a firstcontrol command for displaying a confirmation screen for confirmation ofthe state of the second target device on the first display of the firsttarget device; and

in a case where it is not judged that the device icon representing thesecond target device is dropped on the device icon representing thefirst target device, and where it is sensed that the device iconrepresenting the second target device is selected, receive theinformation indicating the state of the second target device from theinformation management system, and display the confirmation screen onthe third display as overlapped on the display screen representing theat least one floor plan.

Embodiment

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below withreference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same symbols are usedfor the same constituent elements.

In the embodiment, a home controller which can singly control one ormore devices will be described.

(Overall Configuration)

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a home controlsystem to which a home controller according to the embodiment isapplied. As shown in FIG. 1, the home control system includes a homecontroller 100, a device 200 (an example of a target device), and aserver 300.

The home controller 100 and one or more devices 200 (for example, adevice A 200 and a device B 200) are disposed in a house. The server 300is disposed in a cloud center. The home controller 100, the device 200,and the server 300 communicate with each other via a wired or wirelessnetwork. For example, the device 200 and the home controller 100 arecommunicably connected to each other via a wireless or wired in-homenetwork, and the home controller 100, the device 200, and the server 300are communicably connected to each other via an external network such asthe Internet.

The home controller 100 is not necessarily disposed in the house, andmay be disposed outside the house. In this case, a user controls the oneor more devices 200 from a location away from the home.

A mobile information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminalmay be adopted as the home controller 100. It should be noted, however,that the smartphone and the tablet terminal are merely exemplary, and amobile information terminal of a button type such as a cellular phonemay be adopted as the home controller 100.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the main devices 200 to be controlled by thehome controller 100. The home controller 100 controls the devices 200such as an air conditioning apparatus (hereinafter called “airconditioner”) 201, illumination devices 202 and 203, a bath 204, arefrigerator 205, a washing machine 206, a toilet 207, a curtain 208,and television receiver (hereinafter called “television set”) 209. Thedevices 200 to be controlled by the home controller 100 may include aplurality of devices 200 of the same type such as the illuminationdevices 202 and 203.

The devices 200 such as the air conditioner 201 shown in FIG. 2 aremerely exemplary, and a Blu-ray recorder, an audio device, and so forthmay be adopted as the devices 200. That is, any electrical device thatfunctions to communicate with the home controller 100 may be adopted asthe device 200. In FIG. 2, electrical devices for use in ordinaryhouseholds are shown as the devices 200. However, the embodiment is notlimited thereto, and office devices for use in offices or the like maybe adopted as the devices 200. Examples of the office devices include aprinter, a personal computer, a scanner, and a copy machine.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the homecontroller 100, the device 200, and the server 300. As shown in FIG. 3,the home controller 100 includes a display 101, a touch panel controlsection 102, a display control section 103, a storage section 104, adevice management section 105, a device control section 106, and acommunication control section 107.

The display 101 is formed from a touch panel display, for example, anddisplays a user interface that allows the user to operate the homecontroller 100. The user can input various operations to the homecontroller 100 by contacting the display 101.

The touch panel control section 102 recognizes an operation performed onthe display 101 by the user, interprets the content of the operation,and notifies the other constituent elements of the content of theoperation. For example, if an object is displayed at a position on thedisplay 101 tapped on by the user, the touch panel control section 102determines that the object is selected by the user. A variety of GUIparts that receive a user operation such as buttons are adopted as theobject.

The display control section 103 generates a GUI (Graphical UserInterface) of the home controller 100, and causes the display 101 todisplay the GUI. The storage section 104 stores information that isnecessary for operation of the home controller 100 such as a device listmanaged by the device management section 105.

The device management section 105 manages the control target devices 200using the device list stored in the storage section 104. In addition,the device management section 105 detects a device 200 when the device200 is connected to the in-home network. Further, the device managementsection 105 acquires home information 2700 to be discussed later fromthe server 300, stores the acquired home information 2700 in the storagesection 104, and manages the home information 2700. The device controlsection 106 issues a control command for the devices 200. Thecommunication control section 107 controls communication between thehome controller 100 and the devices 200 and communication between thehome controller 100 and the server 300. In addition, the communicationcontrol section 107 transmits a variety of data to the devices 200 orthe server 300 upon receiving a request to transmit such data from otherblocks, and receives data transmitted from the devices 200 or the server300 to deliver the data to the relevant block.

The display 101 may be a normal display rather than a touch paneldisplay. In this case, the user may use an external input device such asa mouse (not shown) to input an instruction to select an object bymoving a pointer displayed on the display 101 and clicking on a desiredobject. That is, in the embodiment, a series of operations performed bythe user by contacting the display 101 may be replaced with operationsof moving a pointer and clicking using an external input device such asa mouse.

As shown in FIG. 3, the device 200 includes a control execution section211, a state management section 212, a storage section 214, and acommunication control section 217. The control execution section 211receives a control command from the home controller 100 or the server300, and controls the device 200 in accordance with the received controlcommand. The content of control of the device 200 performed by thecontrol execution section 211 differs in accordance with the type of thedevice 200. For example, if the device 200 is an illumination device,the control execution section 211 turns on and off the illuminationdevice. In addition, the control execution section 211 transmits theresult of execution of the control command and the state of the device200 to the home controller 100 or the server 300.

The state management section 212 manages the state of the device 200.The content of management of the device 200 performed by the statemanagement section 212 differs in accordance with the type of the device200. For example, if the device 200 is an illumination device, the statemanagement section 212 manages whether the illumination device iscurrently turned on or turned off. The storage section 214 storesinformation related to the state of the device 200 managed by the statemanagement section 212. The communication control section 217 controlscommunication between the device 200 and the home controller 100 andcommunication between the device 200 and the server 300. In addition,the communication control section 217 transmits a variety of data to thehome controller 100 or the server 300 upon receiving a request totransmit such data from other blocks, and receives data transmitted fromthe home controller 100 or the server 300 to deliver the data to therelevant block.

As shown in FIG. 3, the server 300 includes a home informationmanagement section 301, a device control section 302, a storage section304, and a communication control section 307. The home informationmanagement section 301 manages the home information 2700 to be discussedlater for each house or each user account. In addition, the homeinformation management section 301 transmits the home information 2700to the home controller 100 in response to a request from the homecontroller 100. Further, the home information management section 301acquires log information related to the use history of the device 200and information related to the state of the device 200 from the device200, stores the acquired information in the storage section 304, andmanages the information.

The device control section 302 transmits a control command to the device200 in response to a request from the home controller 100. The storagesection 304 stores information that is necessary for operation of theserver 300 such as the home information 2700 and the information relatedto the state of the device 200 managed by the home informationmanagement section 301. The communication control section 307 controlscommunication between the server 300 and the home controller 100 andcommunication between the server 300 and the device 200 as with thecommunication control section 107. In addition, the communicationcontrol section 307 transmits a variety of data to the home controller100 or the device 200 upon receiving a request to transmit such datafrom other blocks, and receives data transmitted from the homecontroller 100 or the device 200 to deliver the data to the relevantblock.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the form ofimplementation of the home controller 100. As shown in FIG. 4, the homecontroller 100 includes an application 401, an OS (Operating System)402, a memory 403, and other hardware (not shown).

The application 401 is application software for causing the mobileinformation terminal to function as the home controller 100, and isexecuted by a processor of the home controller 100. The home controller100 may read the application 401 from a computer readable recordingmedium to implement the application 401, or may download the application401 from a network to implement the application 401. The OS 402 is basicsoftware of the mobile information terminal, and is executed by theprocessor of the home controller 100. The memory 403 is formed from astorage device such as a RAM and a ROM of the home controller 100, andstores a group of data included in the application 401. The processor ofthe home controller 100 executes the application 401 to embody thefunctions of the touch panel control section 102, the display controlsection 103, the storage section 104, the device management section 105,the device control section 106, and the communication control section107 shown in FIG. 3. In addition, the processor of the home controller100 executes the application 401 to cause the memory 403 to function asthe storage section 104.

It should be noted, however, that in the embodiment, the home controller100 may be implemented by the application 401 alone, may be implementedby the application 401 and the OS 402, may be implemented by theapplication 401, the OS 402, and the memory 403, or may be implementedby the application 401, the OS 402, the memory 403, and other hardware(not shown). In any embodiment, the home controller 100 according to theembodiment can be embodied. In the embodiment, the processor and thestorage device forming the mobile information terminal, for example,form a computer. One of a CPU, an FPGA, and an ASIC or a combination oftwo or more of these may be adopted as the processor. One of a ROM, aRAM, and a hard disk or a combination of two or more of these may beadopted as the storage device.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen of thehome controller 100. As shown in FIG. 5, the basic screen of the homecontroller 100 displayed on the display 101 include a floor plan 500,device icons 501, and a device list display change button 503. The floorplan 500 is a plan view that planarly represents the arrangement and theshape of one or more rooms forming each floor of a house. In the casewhere the house has one or more floors, the floor plan 500 is preparedfor each floor. For example, in the case where the house has two floors,two floor plans 500, namely a floor plan 601 for the first floor and afloor plan 602 for the second floor, are displayed on the display 101 asshown in FIG. 6.

The device icon 501 is an icon displayed as overlapped on the floor plan500 and representing the device 200. When the touch panel controlsection 102 senses a tap on the device icon 501 performed by the user,the display control section 103 causes the display 101 to display adevice control screen 502 to be discussed later. This allows the user tocontrol the device 200 by operating the device control screen 502.

The device icon 501 is prepared for each device 200. The display controlsection 103 disposes the device icon 501 on the floor plan 500 on thebasis of the actual arrangement of the device 200 within the house.Information as to at what position on the floor plan 500 the device icon501 is to be disposed is registered in an arrangement 3104 of a devicelist 3100 to be discussed later. Here, a position on the floor plan 500corresponding to the actual arrangement position of the device 200 isregistered in the arrangement 3104. Thus, the display control section103 can dispose the device icon 501 at a position on the floor plan 500corresponding to the actual arrangement position of the device 200 bydisposing the device icon 501 at the position registered in thearrangement 3104 of the device list 3100.

In the floor plan 500 shown in FIG. 5, one floor is partitioned into aplurality of rooms by partition lines that indicate partitions betweenthe rooms. This allows the user to recognize what device 200 is disposedin what room at a glance.

In the example of FIG. 5, in addition, schematic images of furniturepieces are displayed at positions on the floor plan 500 corresponding tothe actual arrangement positions of the furniture pieces. An image thatindicates the movable range of a door is displayed at a position on thefloor plan 500 corresponding to the actual arrangement position of thedoor. An image of a staircase is displayed at a position on the floorplan 500 corresponding to the actual arrangement position of thestaircase. This allows the user to recognize the positions of thefurniture pieces disposed in each room and the positions of thestaircase and the doors on the floor.

The button with a text “TO LIST UI” displayed at the lower right of thebasic screen is the device list display change button 503, which is abutton for switching the screen display from the basic screen to adevice list display screen to be discussed later (see FIG. 24). When thetouch panel control section 102 senses a tap on the device list displaychange button 503 performed by the user, the display control section 103switches the screen display on the display 101 from the basic screen tothe device list display screen. It should be noted, however, that thedisplay control section 103 may hide the device list display changebutton 503 in the case where a registration is made in the homecontroller 100 in advance that the device list display screen is notutilized.

In the foregoing description, one device icon 501 is correlated with onedevice 200. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and onedevice icon 501 may be correlated with a plurality of devices 200 sothat the one device icon 501 may be used in common to the plurality ofdevices 200. For example, in the case where there are two illuminationdevices in a living room, the two illumination devices may berepresented by one device icon 501.

In this case, when the device icon 501 representing the two illuminationdevices is tapped on by the user, the display control section 103 causesthe display 101 to display a device control screen 502 that allowssimultaneous control of the two illumination devices. This allows theuser to control the two illumination devices at the same time. Aplurality of illumination devices are often disposed in a large roomsuch as the living room. In the case where the user turns on or off theillumination devices in the living room, the user often turns on or offall the illumination devices disposed in the living room, rather thanturning on or off some of the illumination devices. In this case, if itis possible to collectively turn on or off all the illumination devices,the number of operations to be performed by the user can be reduced.Thus, one device icon 501 may be correlated with a plurality of devices200 that are highly likely to be operated by the user at the same timeto cause one device control screen 502 to be displayed.

In the case where the device icon 501 represents a plurality of devices200, the display control section 103 may display the device icon 501 ata position on the floor plan 500 corresponding to the actual arrangementposition of one of the devices 200. Alternatively, the display controlsection 103 may display the device icon 501 representing the pluralityof devices 200 at a predetermined location of a room in which theplurality of devices 200 are disposed.

In order to dispose the device icon 501 on the floor plan 500 on thebasis of the actual arrangement of the device 200 within the house, theuser moves the device icon 501 to an appropriate position on the floorplan 500. The user can move the device icon 501 to a desired position bydragging the device icon 501 while holding down the device icon 501.These operations are executed at the timing when the device icon 501 isadded such as when the home controller 100 is initially utilized andwhen a new device 200 is purchased.

Specifically, when the touch panel control section 102 senses a drag onthe device icon 501, the device management section 105 registers theposition on the floor plan 500 of the device icon 501 after the movementin the arrangement 3104 of the device list 3100 to be discussed later.This allows a position on the floor plan 500 corresponding to the actualarrangement position of the device 200 to be registered in thearrangement 3104.

The initial display position of the device icon 501 may be determined inadvance by the system, and may be a predetermined position outside thedisplay region of the floor plan 500 or a predetermined position withina predetermined room on the floor plan 500, for example. The method ofdisposing the device icon 501 on the floor plan 500 on the basis of theactual arrangement of the device 200 within the house is not limitedthereto, and the method described below may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 7, 8, and 9, some floor plans 500 include arrangementinformation for the device icons 501. For example, in the example of thefloor plan 500 of FIG. 7, texts that indicate the type of the devices200 represented by the device icons 501 to be disposed are provided atpositions at which the device icons 501 are to be disposed. In theexample of the floor plan 500 of FIG. 8, images that indicate the typeof the devices 200 represented by the device icons 501 to be disposedare provided at positions at which the device icons 501 are to bedisposed. In the example of the floor plan 500 of FIG. 9, simplifiedimages such as circles and rectangles that indicate the type of thedevices 200 represented by the device icons 501 to be disposed areprovided at positions at which the device icons 501 are to be disposed.

Consequently, in the case where the floor plan 500 includes arrangementinformation for the device icons 501, the display control section 103may generate the basic screen of FIG. 5 by automatically disposing thedevice icons 501 on the floor plan 500 on the basis of the arrangementinformation included in the floor plan 500. In this case, it is notnecessary for the user to perform an operation of moving the deviceicons 501 to appropriate positions on the floor plan 500.

For example, in an exemplary floor plan 4401 for the first floor of FIG.7, the display control section 103 detects a position provided with atext “TELEVISION SET”, automatically disposes the device icon 501 forthe television set at the detected position, and registers the detectedposition in the arrangement 3104 of the device list 3100.

In an exemplary floor plan 4501 for the first floor of FIG. 8, thedisplay control section 103 detects a position provided with an imagefor the “television set”, automatically disposes the device icon 501 forthe television set at the detected position, and registers the detectedposition in the arrangement 3104 of the device list 3100. In anexemplary floor plan 4601 for the first floor of FIG. 9, the displaycontrol section 103 detects a position provided with an image in theshape of a “circle filled with oblique lines”, automatically disposesthe device icon 501 for the television set at the detected position, andregisters the detected position in the arrangement 3104 of the devicelist 3100.

The display control section 103 may detect the display position ofarrangement information by recognizing the arrangement informationincluded in the floor plan 500 using a text recognition technology or animage recognition technology commonly utilized.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a method of switching the floordisplay on the basic screen of the home controller 100. FIG. 10illustrates a case where the house has two floors, namely the firstfloor and the second floor. With a floor plan 601 for the first floordisplayed on the basic screen of the home controller 100, the touchpanel control section 102 senses a tap on a staircase region 603 on thefirst floor performed by the user. Then, the display control section 103switches the floor display on the basic screen from the first floor tothe second floor. Similarly, with a floor plan 602 for the second floordisplayed on the basic screen of the home controller 100, the touchpanel control section 102 senses a tap on a staircase region 604 on thesecond floor performed by the user. Then, the display control section103 switches the floor display on the basic screen from the second floorto the first floor.

Here, the touch panel control section 102 may judge that the staircaseregion 603 is tapped on if the position tapped on by the user ispositioned within a region surrounded by four vertexes of a staircaseregistered in a room type 2902 of room information 2900 (see FIG. 32).

Further, the floor display may be switched by not only tapping on thestaircase region 603 but also a swipe operation on the display 101. Withthe floor plan 601 for the first floor displayed on the basic screen ofthe home controller 100, the touch panel control section 102 senses aswipe operation performed from the right to the left on the display 101by the user. Then, the display control section 103 switches the floordisplay on the basic screen from the first floor to the second floor.Similarly, with the floor plan 602 for the second floor displayed on thebasic screen of the home controller 100, the touch panel control section102 senses a swipe operation performed from the left to the right on thedisplay 101 by the user. Then, the display control section 103 switchesthe floor display on the basic screen from the second floor to the firstfloor. The floor display may be switched by a swipe operation in thevertical direction.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of the display state ofthe device control screen 502 of the home controller 100. In the basicscreen shown in FIG. 5, when the touch panel control section 102 sensesthat the user selects the device icon 501, the display control section103 causes the display 101 to display the device control screen 502corresponding to the selected device icon 501. The device control screen502 is a control screen that is specific to each device 200 and thatallows control or confirmation of the state of the device 200. Forexample, in FIG. 11, a device icon 801 for the air conditioner isselected by the user, and the temperature setting and the air flowdirection are controlled using the device control screen 502 for the airconditioner.

An image of the air conditioner is displayed in the device controlscreen 502 to allow the user to immediately recognize that the devicecontrol screen 502 corresponds to the air conditioner. This prevents anerroneous operation. An image that indicates the air flow direction isdisplayed on the lower side of the image of the air conditioner to allowthe user to select a desired air flow direction by repeatedly tapping onthe image, for example. A numeral displayed within the device controlscreen 502 indicates the current set temperature of the air conditioner.A button in the shape of a triangle that points upward in the devicecontrol screen 502 is a temperature increase button. A button in theshape of a triangle that points downward is a temperature decreasebutton. Pressing the temperature increase button once increases the settemperature of the air conditioner by a predetermined temperature (forexample, 0.5 degrees). Pressing the temperature decrease button oncedecreases the set temperature of the air conditioner by a predeterminedtemperature (for example, 0.5 degrees).

Examples of the method of disposing the device icons 501 in the displaystate of the device control screen 502 include the following methods.

A first method is to dispose the device icons 501 outside the displayregion of the device control screen 502 as shown in FIG. 11. When thetouch panel control section 102 senses that a certain device icon 501 istapped on by the user, the display control section 103 disposes all thedevice icons 501 at locations outside the display region of the devicecontrol screen 502 and inside the display region of the display 101irrespective of whether or not the locations are inside the displayregion of the floor plan 500. In the example of FIG. 11, the deviceicons 501 are disposed in an elliptical arrangement so as to surroundthe device control screen 502. That is, when a certain device icon 501is selected by the user and the device control screen 502 for the device200 corresponding to the device icon 501 is displayed, the displaycontrol section 103 retracts all the device icons 501 out of the displayregion of the device control screen 502.

This prevents the device icons 501 from being hidden by the devicecontrol screen 502. Therefore, in the case where the device controlscreen 502 for a device 200 is currently displayed and the user attemptsto cause the device control screen 502 for another device 200 to bedisplayed, it is not necessary for the user to temporarily erase thecurrently displayed device control screen 502 and search for the deviceicon 501 for the relevant device 200.

Here, the display control section 103 may decide the arrangementposition of each device icon 501 on the outer periphery of an ellipsehaving a shape determined in advance in accordance with the size of thedevice control screen 502, and dispose the device icon 501 at thedecided position, for example. Examples of the method of deciding thearrangement position include a method of arranging all the device icons501 as display targets at equal intervals on the outer periphery of anellipse, and a method of disposing the device icons 501 such that theangles formed by lines connecting between adjacent device icons 501 andthe center of an ellipse are equal to each other. Alternatively, thedisplay control section 103 may divide the outer periphery of an ellipseinto four sections corresponding to the upper, lower, left, and rightportions of the device control screen 502, and dispose the device icons501 such that the number of device icons 501 in each section is the sameand the device icons 501 in each section are arranged at equalintervals. The device icon 501 disposed at the closest position on thefloor plan 500 may be disposed at the decided arrangement position.

In the foregoing description, the device icons 501 are arranged in anelliptical arrangement. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto,and the device icons 501 may be arranged in a circular arrangement. Alsoin this case, the arrangement position of the device icons 501 may bedecided using the same method as in the case where the device icons 501are arranged in an elliptical arrangement. Other examples of the shapeof arrangement of the device icons 501 used when the device icons 501are retracted out of the display region of the device control screen 502include polygonal arrangements such as triangular, rectangular, andpentagonal arrangements.

A second method is to dispose the device icons 501 in one line outsidethe display region of the device control screen 502 and the floor plan500 and inside the display region of the display 101 as shown in FIG.13. When the touch panel control section 102 senses that a certaindevice icon 501 is tapped on by the user, the display control section103 disposes all the device icons 501 in one vertical line on the leftside of the display region of the floor plan 500. That is, the displaycontrol section 103 retracts all the device icons 501 to a vacant spaceoutside the display region of the floor plan 500 and inside the displayregion of the display 101.

In FIG. 13, the device icons 501 are disposed on the left side of thefloor plan 502. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and thedevice icons 501 may be disposed in one vertical line on the right sideof the floor plan 502, or may be disposed in one horizontal line on theupper or lower side of the floor plan 500.

In the case where all the device icons 501 cannot be disposed on theleft side of the floor plan 500, the display control section 103 mayscroll the device icons 501 upward or downward in accordance with aswipe operation performed upward or downward on the device icons 501disposed in one vertical line on the left side to cause the device icons501, which have been hidden, to be displayed within the display 101.

This allows the device icons 501, which have been hidden, to bedisplayed within the display 101 to allow the user to select the deviceicons 501. In the case where the device icons 501 are displayed in onehorizontal line and all the device icons 501 may not displayed, thedisplay control section 103 may scroll the device icons 501 leftward orrightward in accordance with a swipe operation performed leftward orrightward on the device icons 501 disposed in one horizontal line tocause the device icons 501, which have been hidden, to be displayedwithin the display 101.

In the display state of the device control screen 502, the displaycontrol section 103 may display the device icon 501 selected by the userin a display mode that is different from that for the unselected deviceicons 501. This allows the user to easily recognize the selected deviceicon 501.

For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the display control section 103 maydisplay the selected device icon 801 in a color that is different fromthat of the other unselected device icons 501. Specifically, the displaycontrol section 103 may display a background portion of the selecteddevice icon 501 in a color that is different from that of backgroundportions of the unselected device icons 501. It should be noted,however, that such a display mode is merely exemplary, and the displaycontrol section 103 may make the selected device icon 501 brighter thanthe unselected device icons 501, may make the selected device icon 501denser than the unselected device icons 501, or may cause the selecteddevice icon 501 to flash on and off at a constant cycle.

In the display state of the device control screen 502, the device icon501 selected by the user may be disposed as distinguished from theunselected device icons 501. This allows the user to easily recognizethe selected device icon 501.

For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the display control section 103 maydispose a selected device icon 901 at the uppermost position on theouter periphery of an ellipse. Besides, for example, the display controlsection 103 may dispose the selected device icon 501 at a particularposition (for example, the lowermost position, the rightmost position,or the leftmost position) on the outer periphery of an ellipse. In anyevent, the display control section 103 may dispose the device icon 501selected by the user at a particular location that is easilyrecognizable by the user.

Besides, for example, as shown in FIG. 14, the display control section103 may scroll an array of the device icons 501 such that a selecteddevice icon 1101 is disposed within the display region of the display101. In the example of FIG. 14, the device icons 501 are scrolled suchthat the selected device icon 1101 is disposed at the center of a lineof icons displayed in one vertical line on the left side of the floorplan 500. This allows the user to easily recognize the selected deviceicon 501. Although the device icon 1101 is disposed at the center of theline of icons in FIG. 14, the device icon 1101 may be disposed at anyother conspicuous position. For example, the device icon 1101 may bedisposed at the top or bottom position of the line of icons.

The order of arrangement of the device icons 501 taken when the deviceicons 501 are retracted of the display region of the floor plan 500 maybe determined such that devices 200 that are closer in position ofarrangement on the floor plan 500 to the device icon 501 selected by theuser are disposed to be closer in order of arrangement to the selecteddevice icon 501. Alternatively, the order of arrangement of the deviceicons 501 may be determined such that the device icons 501 for devices200 that are more likely to be used together with the device 200selected by the user are disposed to be closer in order of arrangementto the device icon 501 for the device 200 selected by the user. Forexample, the television set and the Blu-ray recorder are highly likelyto be used together by the user. Therefore, when the device icon 501 forthe television set is selected by the user, the device icon 501 for theBlu-ray recorder may be displayed next to the device icon 501 for thetelevision set. In order to embody such a configuration, a table thatindicates combinations of devices 200 that are highly likely to be usedtogether may be stored in advance in the storage section 104, and thearrangement of the device icons 501 may be decided in accordance withthe table.

In any of the methods of disposing the device icons 501 taken when thedevice control screen 502 is displayed described above, in addition, thedisplay control section 103 may dispose the device icons 501 as groupedunder particular conditions.

For example, in FIG. 15, the device icons 501 are grouped in accordancewith the location at which the devices 200 are disposed. The devices 200disposed in the living room are grouped as device icons 1201. Thedevices 200 disposed in a lavatory are grouped as device icons 1202. Thedevices 200 disposed in a bedroom are grouped as device icons 1203.Then, the display order is set to each group, and the grouped deviceicons 501 are disposed in one vertical line on the left side of thefloor plan 500 in accordance with the display order. The display orderof the groups may be determined such that groups that are positionedcloser to the room in which the device 200 selected by the user isdisposed are closer in display order to the group for the room in whichthe device 200 selected by the user is disposed.

Besides, the display control section 103 may dispose the device icons501 as grouped in accordance with the type of the devices 200. Forexample, in FIG. 16, two device icons 501 for the television set aredisposed on the left side of the floor plan 500 as grouped as deviceicons 2301, and two device icons 501 for the air conditioner aredisposed on the left side of the floor plan 500 as grouped as deviceicons 2302 for the air conditioner. Consequently, the display controlsection 103 may group the device icons 501 in accordance with the devicetype by disposing the device icons 501 for the devices 200 of the sametype to be continuous.

The display control section 103 may discriminate the type of the devices200 in accordance with the content registered in a device type 3102 ofthe device list 3100 (see FIG. 35).

Although the device icons 501 for the devices 200 of the same type aregrouped into one group in the foregoing description, the embodiment isnot limited thereto. For example, the display control section 103 mayclassify the devices 200 into categories matching the device type, groupthe device icons 501 in accordance with the category, and dispose thedevice icons 501 on the left side of the floor plan 500 in groups.

For example, as shown in the lower left of FIG. 16, three device icons501 for the refrigerator, a microwave oven, and a dish washing/dryingmachine are classified into a cooking device category, and therefore thethree device icons are grouped as device icons 2303 for the cookingdevices and disposed on the left side of the floor plan 500.

Examples of the other categories include entertainment devices andair-conditioning devices. The entertainment device category includesdevices 200 such as a television set, a recorder, a player, and a hometheater system. The air-conditioning device category includes devices200 such as an air conditioner, an air purifier, a humidifier, adehumidifier, and a home air circulation system.

For example, if the device icons 501 for the television set, therecorder, the air conditioner, and the air purifier are disposed on thefloor plan 500 and the device icon 501 for the television set isselected by the user, the device icons 501 for the television set andthe recorder classified into the entertainment device category aregrouped into one group and disposed on the left side of the floor plan500, and the device icons 501 for the air conditioner and the airpurifier classified into the air-conditioning device category aregrouped into one group and disposed on the left side of the floor plan500.

The display control section 103 may determine the category of thedevices 200 from the content registered in the device type 3102 of thedevice list 3100. In this case, a classification table for determiningthe category of the devices 200 from the content registered in thedevice type 3102 may be stored in advance in the storage section 104,and the display control section 103 may reference the classificationtable to discriminate the category of the devices 200.

A variety of manners of classifying the devices 200 according to thedevice type may be adopted besides that described above. For example, asshown in FIG. 24, the devices 200 may be classified into householdappliance, air-conditioning, and facility categories.

The method of grouping the device icons 501 on the basis of particularconditions and disposing the device icons 501 as described above mayalso be applied to the display mode in which the device icons 501 areretracted so as to surround the device control screen 502 as shown inFIG. 11.

FIGS. 17A and 17B are each a diagram showing a method of displaying thefloor plan 500 with the device control screen 502 displayed. As shown inFIGS. 17A and 17B, there are two types of the method of displaying thefloor plan 500. In a first display method, as shown in FIG. 17A, theentire floor plan 500 is covered by a translucent gray layer (in thedrawing, indicated by dots).

In this case, the background of the device control screen 502 is turnedinto a gray color to emphasize the device control screen 502, whichallows the user to more definitely recognize the device control screen502. In addition, the gray layer is translucent, and the floor plan 500is not completely hidden. This allows the device control screen 502 tobe operated with presence. The gray layer is image data having a colorwith low brightness such as gray and set to predetermined transparency.

The display control section 103 may decide the display order of thedevice control screen 502, the gray layer, and the floor plan 500 suchthat the device control screen 502 is the uppermost layer and the floorplan 500 is the lowermost layer, and synthesize these images. Thisprevents the device control screen 502 from being displayed as coveredby the gray layer.

In a second display method, as shown in FIG. 17B, a non-control targetregion 1302 in the floor plan 500 is covered by a translucent gray layer(the region with dots in the drawing), and a control target region 1301is not covered by the translucent gray layer. This allows the user tooperate the device control screen 502 while being conscious of thecontrol target region 1301, which allows operation with presence. Here,the control target region 1301 refers to a region on the floor plan 500that corresponds to a room in which the device 200 represented by thedevice icon 501 selected by the user is disposed, and the non-controltarget region 1302 refers to a region on the floor plan 500 other thanthe room. For example, in the case where the control target device isthe air conditioner installed in the living room, the control targetregion 1301 is the region on the floor plan 500 corresponding to theliving room, and the non-control target region 1302 is the region on thefloor plan 500 other than the living room.

For example, it is assumed that the user selects the device icon 501 forthe air conditioner with a device ID 3101 of A shown in FIG. 35. In thiscase, the display control section 103 specifies the position (X10, Y100,Z1) of the air conditioner from the content registered in thearrangement 3104 of the air conditioner. Next, the display controlsection 103 references the room information 2900 to decide in which roomthe specified position (X10, Y100, Z1) is positioned. Here, it isassumed that the position (X10, Y100, Z1) is positioned within a regionsurrounded by vertexes with vertex IDs of F, G, H, I, L, O, and N. Then,the display control section 103 determines that the air conditioner isdisposed in the living room with a room ID of A. Then, the displaycontrol section 103 generates a gray layer with the region of the livingroom defined as the control target region 1301 and with the region onthe floor plan 500 other than the living room defined as the non-controltarget region 1302.

Next, transition between the display state of the basic screen and thedisplay state of the device control screen 502 will be described usingFIG. 18. In the basic screen shown in the left diagram of FIG. 18, theuser selects the device icon 501 for the device 200 (here, the airconditioner) that is desired to be controlled, and the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses the selection. Then, as shown in the rightdiagram of FIG. 18, the display control section 103 displays the devicecontrol screen 502 corresponding to the selected device icon 501 asoverlapped on the floor plan 500. This results in transition from thedisplay state of the basic screen to the display state of the devicecontrol screen 502.

On the other hand, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 18, in thedisplay state of the device control screen 502, the user taps on thedevice icon 501 for the air conditioner corresponding to the devicecontrol screen 502 or a location outside the display region of thedevice control screen 502 (for example, the display region of the floorplan 500 outside the display region of the device control screen 502),and the touch panel control section 102 senses the tap. Then, as shownin the left diagram of FIG. 18, the display control section 103 erasesthe device control screen 502, and returns from the display state of thedevice control screen 502 to the display state of the basic screen. Atthis time, the display control section 103 returns the device icon 501to the original arrangement position on the floor plan 500.

The operation described above is the same for the floor plan 500 for anyfloor displayed in the basic screen. For example, as shown in the leftdiagram of FIG. 19, in the case where the basic screen displays thefloor plan 602 for the second floor, the user taps on the device icon501 for the device 200 (here, the air conditioner) that is desired to becontrolled, and the touch panel control section 102 senses the tap.Then, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 19, the display controlsection 103 displays the device control screen 502 corresponding to theselected device icon 501 as overlapped on the floor plan 602 for thesecond floor.

On the other hand, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 19, in thedisplay state of the device control screen 502 for the air conditioner,the user taps on the device icon 501 for the air conditionercorresponding to the device control screen 502 being displayed or alocation outside the display region of the device control screen 502(for example, the display region of the floor plan 500 outside thedisplay region of the device control screen 502), and the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses the tap. Then, as shown in the left diagramof FIG. 19, the display control section 103 erases the device controlscreen 502, and returns from the display state of the device controlscreen 502 to the display state of the basic screen in which the floorplan 602 for the second floor is displayed.

Next, a method of switching from the display state of a certain devicecontrol screen 502 to the display state of another device control screen502 will be described using FIG. 20. As shown in the left diagram ofFIG. 20, in the display state of the device control screen 502 for theair conditioner, the user taps on the device icon 501 for the washingmachine which is different from the device icon 501 for the airconditioner, and the touch panel control section 102 senses the tap.Then, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 20, the display controlsection 103 erases the device control screen 502 which has beendisplayed, and displays the device control screen 502 corresponding tothe device icon 501 for the washing machine as overlapped on the floorplan 500. Switching in the opposite direction is performed in the samemanner.

Consequently, when the user successively selects different device icons501, switching is successively performed between the device controlscreens 502, which allows the user to successively control differentdevices 200. That is, in causing another device control screen 502 to bedisplayed while a certain device control screen 502 is displayed, it isno longer necessary for the user to input an operation of erasing thecertain device control screen 502, and switching can be performedbetween the device control screens 502 with one touch operation.

In the display state of the device control screen 502, in the case wherethe user taps on the device icon 501 corresponding to the device controlscreen 502 being displayed, the display control section 103 may onlyerase the device control screen 502, and may not return to the basicscreen. Such screen transition is shown in FIG. 21.

In the left diagram of FIG. 21, the device icon 501 for the airconditioner is selected by the user, and therefore the device controlscreen 502 for the air conditioner is displayed, and all the deviceicons 501 are displayed in one vertical line on the left side of thefloor plan 500. In this state, the user taps on the device icon 501 forthe air conditioner, and the touch panel control section 102 senses thetap. Then, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 21, the display controlsection 103 erases only the device control screen 502 for the airconditioner with the device icons 501 kept displayed in one verticalline. In this case, the device icons 501 do not move onto the floor plan500, and therefore a user's desire to cause only the floor plan 500 tobe displayed may be met.

On the other hand, in the hidden state of the device control screen 502,the user selects a desired device icon 501, and the touch panel controlsection 102 senses the selection. Then, the display control section 103displays the device control screen 502 corresponding to the selecteddevice icon 501. For example, in the right diagram of FIG. 21, when theuser selects the device icon 501 for the air conditioner from the deviceicons 501 disposed in one vertical line on the left side of the floorplan 500, the device control screen 502 for the air conditioner isdisplayed as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 21.

Next, transition from the display state of the basic screen to thedisplay state of the device control screen 502 represented through ananimation will be described using FIG. 22. As shown in the upper leftdiagram of FIG. 22, the user selects the device icon 501 for the airconditioner, for example, in the basic screen. Then, the display controlsection 103 gradually lowers the transparency of the device controlscreen 502 for the air conditioner in the order of the upper rightdiagram, the lower right diagram, and the lower left diagram of FIG. 22to a final transparency of 0. At the same time, the display controlsection 103 moves all the device icons 501 onto the outer periphery ofan ellipse that surrounds the device control screen 502.

Next, transition from the display state of the basic screen to thedisplay state of the device control screen 502 represented through ananimation will be described using FIG. 23. As shown in the upper leftdiagram of FIG. 23, the user selects the device icon 501 for the device200 which is the air conditioner, for example, in the basic screen.Then, the display control section 103 gradually decreases thetransparency of the device control screen 502 for the air conditioner inthe order of the upper right diagram, the lower right diagram, and thelower left diagram of FIG. 23 to a final transparency of 0. At the sametime, the display control section 103 moves all the device icons to theleft side of the floor plan 500.

Consequently, representing the screen transition through an animationcan enhance the interest of the user in operating the device controlscreen 502 through screen rendering shown since the device icon 501 isselected until the device control screen 502 is displayed.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list displayscreen. The device list display screen is displayed when the user tapson the device list display change button 503 in the basic screen shownin FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 24, the device list display screen includes a devicelist 2000, device details icons 2001, and a basic screen display button2003.

When the user taps on the device details icon 2001 and the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses the tap, the display control section 103causes the device control screen 502 to be displayed as overlapped onthe device list 2000. This allows the user to cause the device controlscreen 502 to be displayed and operate the device 200 as in the casewhere the device icon 501 is tapped on.

The device details icon 2001 is prepared for each device 200. The devicedetails icon 2001 is different from the device icon 501 in representingnot only an image representing the device 200 but also the on/off stateand the operation state of the device 200. For example, the devicedetails icon 2001 for the refrigerator displayed in the upper left ofFIG. 24 displays not only an image of the refrigerator but also “ON”,which indicates that the refrigerator is currently turned on, and“OPERATION/ICE”, which indicates that the refrigerator is currentlymaking ice.

In the device list 2000, the device details icons 2001 are displayed asclassified on the basis of a classification criterion determined inadvance. Examples of the classification criterion determined in advanceinclude the type of the device 200, the room in which the device 200 isdisposed, and the status of use of the device 200. In FIG. 24, the typeof the device 200 is used as the classification criterion, and thedevice details icons 2001 are classified into three categories, namelythe household appliance, air-conditioning, and facility categories.

In the example of FIG. 24, the refrigerator, an electric toothbrush, thewashing machine, and the television set are classified into thehousehold appliance category, the air conditioner and the air purifierare classified into the air-conditioning category, and the toilet, theillumination device, and the bath are classified into the facilitycategory. In this case, a classification table that determines intowhich of the household appliance, air-conditioning, and facilitycategories each device 200 is classified on the basis of the contentregistered in the device type 3102 of the device list 3100 (see FIG. 35)is stored in advance in the storage section 104. Then, the displaycontrol section 103 may reference the classification table to classifyeach device into a category.

Returning to FIG. 24, the button with a text “TO FLOOR PLAN UI”displayed at the lower right of the device list 2000 is the basic screendisplay button 2003. The basic screen display button 2003 is a buttonfor switching the screen from the device list display screen to thebasic screen.

Although switching can be made between the basic screen and the devicelist display screen in the foregoing description, the device listdisplay screen may be utilized as the basic screen in place of the basicscreen shown in FIG. 5. In this case, the basic screen display button2003 may be omitted.

In the foregoing description, one device details icon 2001 is correlatedwith one device 200. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, andone device details icon 2001 may be correlated with a plurality ofdevices 200 so that the one device details icon 2001 may be used incommon to the plurality of devices 200. For example, in the case wherethere are two illumination devices in a living room, the twoillumination devices may be represented by one device details icon 2001.

In this case, when the device details icon 2001 representing the twoillumination devices is tapped on by the user, the display controlsection 103 causes the display 101 to display a device control screen502 that allows simultaneous control of the two illumination devices. Inthis case, the same effect as that obtained in the case where one deviceicon 501 is used in common to a plurality of devices 200 is obtained. Inthe case where one device details icon 2001 is used in common to aplurality of illumination devices, the device details icon 2001 maydisplay the on/off state and the operation state of each of twoillumination devices.

In the basic screen, the device details icon 2001 may be used in placeof the device icon 501. In the device list display screen, the deviceicon 501 may be used in place of the device details icon 2001. Inaddition, the device control screen 502 displayed in the case where thedevice details icon 2001 is selected and the device control screen 502displayed in the case where the device icon 501 is selected may be thesame as or different from each other. For example, the device detailsicon 2001 contains more information than that of the device icon 501,and therefore the device control screen 502 displayed in the case wherethe device details icon 2001 is selected may include more buttons andstates than those of the device control screen 502 displayed in the casewhere the device icon 501 is selected.

FIG. 25 is a diagram showing screen transition between the basic screenand the device list display screen. In the basic screen shown in theleft diagram of FIG. 25, when the device list display change button 503is selected by the user, display on the display 101 is switched to thedevice list display screen shown in the right diagram of FIG. 25. On theother hand, in the device list display screen shown in the right diagramof FIG. 25, when the basic screen display button 2003 is selected by theuser, display on the display 101 is switched to the basic screen shownin the left diagram of FIG. 25.

Specifically, when the touch panel control section 102 senses a tap onthe basic screen display button 2003, the display control section 103switches the display screen on the display 101 to the basic screenshowing the device list display screen. On the other hand, in thedisplay state of the basic screen, when the touch panel control section102 senses a tap on the device list display change button 503, thedisplay control section 103 switches the display screen on the display101 from the basic screen to the device list display screen.

For example, in the case where the device list display screen isselected for display, and in the case where the user attempts to operatethe television set located in front of the user, the device list displayscreen includes only one device details icon 2001 for the television setif there is only one television set in the house. This allows the userto directly select the device details icon 2001 for the television setwithout an erroneous operation, and to cause the device control screen502 corresponding to the television set to be displayed.

On the other hand, in the case where the device list display screen isselected, the device list display screen focuses on the individualdevices 200, and thus the relationship between the device 200 and thelocation at which the device 200 is disposed is unclear, although it ispossible to operate or confirm the state of the individual devices 200.Therefore, for a plurality of devices 200 installed within the samebuilding, such as the air conditioners or the illumination devices, forexample, it is unclear the air conditioner or the illumination device inwhich room is the control target, which may incur an erroneousoperation.

Thus, in the embodiment, the basic screen is provided in addition to thedevice list display screen to allow selection from the basic screen andthe device list display screen.

Consequently, in the case where the basic screen is selected, therelationship between the device 200 and the location at which the device200 is disposed is made definite. Therefore, also for a plurality ofdevices 200 of the same type installed in the same building, such as theair conditioners or illumination devices, for example, a discriminationas to the air conditioner or the illumination device in which room isthe control target is facilitated. This prevents the air conditioner orthe illumination device installed in a room that is different from thedesired room from being erroneously operated.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing screen transition between the display stateof the device list display screen and the display state of the devicecontrol screen 502. In the device list display screen shown in the leftdiagram of FIG. 26, the user selects the device details icon 2001 forthe device 200 (here, the air conditioner) that is desired to becontrolled, and the touch panel control section 102 senses theselection. Then, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 26, the displaycontrol section 103 displays the device control screen 502 for the airconditioner corresponding to the selected device details icon 2001 asoverlapped on the device list display screen. This results in transitionfrom the display state of the device list display screen to the displaystate of the device control screen 502.

In the example in the right drawing of FIG. 26, the display controlsection 103 hides the device details icons 2001 for devices other thanthe air conditioner selected by the user, and only the device detailsicon 2001 for the air conditioner is displayed at a position that isdifferent from that in the device control screen 502. This allows theuser to definitely recognize the device details icon 2001 that the userhimself/herself selected.

On the other hand, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 26, in thedisplay state of the device control screen 502, the user selects thedevice details icon 2001 for the air conditioner, and the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses the selection. Then, as shown in the leftdiagram of FIG. 26, the display control section 103 erases the devicecontrol screen 502, and returns from the display state of the devicecontrol screen 502 to the display state of the device list displayscreen.

Although only one device details icon 2001 is displayed in the displaystate of the device control screen 502 shown in the right diagram ofFIG. 26, other device details icons 2001 that are not selected by theuser may be displayed in the same manner as in FIG. 13. In this case,the plurality of device details icons 2001 may be displayed in one lineat an end of the screen as shown in FIG. 13, or may be displayed so asto surround the device control screen 502 as shown in FIG. 12.

According to the configuration, the user can successively select thedevice details icons 2001 in the display state of the device controlscreen 502 to successively display other device control screens 502.Consequently, in causing another device control screen 502 to bedisplayed while a certain device control screen 502 is displayed, it isno longer necessary for the user to input an operation of erasing thecertain device control screen 502, and switching can be performedbetween the device control screens 502 with one touch operation.

FIG. 27 is a diagram showing screen transition between the display stateof the basic screen and the display state of the device control screen502 performed in the case where the basic screen includes a plurality ofdevice icons 501 representing the devices 200 of the same type. As shownin the left diagram of FIG. 27, the basic screen includes two deviceicons 501 for the television set. Here, the device icon 501 for atelevision set A is represented as a device icon 2401, and the deviceicon 501 for a television set B is represented as a device icon 2402. Atthis time, the user can intuitively select a television set that isdesired to be controlled from the floor plan 500, and operate thetelevision set.

For example, in the right diagram of FIG. 27, the device icon 2401 forthe television set A is selected, and a device control screen 2403 forthe television set A is displayed. Consequently, even if there are aplurality of device icons 501 for the devices 200 of the same type, eachdevice icon 501 is disposed at a position on the floor plan 500corresponding to the actual installation position. This allows the userto intuitively select the device icon 501 for a device 200 that isdesired to be controlled in accordance with the display position on thefloor plan 500, which prevents the device control screen 502 for anotherdevice 200 from being erroneously displayed.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing screen transition performed in the casewhere different device icons 501 are successively selected in thedisplay state of the device control screen 502 to successively switchbetween the device control screens 502. In the upper left diagram, adevice control screen 2511 for the air conditioner is displayed. Whenthe device icon 2501 for the refrigerator is selected in this state, adevice control screen 2512 for the refrigerator is displayed on thedisplay 101 as shown in the upper right diagram. When the device icon2502 for the washing machine is selected in the upper left diagram, adevice control screen 2513 for the washing machine is displayed as shownin the lower right diagram. When the device icon 2503 for the airpurifier is selected in the upper left diagram, a device control screen2514 for the air purifier is displayed as shown in the lower leftdiagram. Such screen transition is performed in the same manner in theupper right diagram, the lower right diagram, and the lower leftdiagram.

Consequently, when the user selects the device icon 501 in the displaystate of the device control screen 502, the device control screen 502corresponding to the device icon 501 can be directly displayed.Therefore, in the case where another device control screen 502 is to bedisplayed while a certain device control screen 502 is displayed, theother device control screen 502 can be displayed with one touchoperation without inputting an operation of erasing the device controlscreen 502 being displayed. This allows the user to smoothly switchbetween the device control screens 502.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing an example of display on the basic screenof the device icons 501 for incommunicable devices 200 that cannot bedetected on the network. The device management section 105 detects adevice 200 that cannot be detected on the network and a device 200 thatdoes not respond to a control command even though registered in thedevice list 3100 as incommunicable devices 200. Then, the displaycontrol section 103 displays the device icons 501 for the incommunicabledevices 200 in a display mode that is different from that for the deviceicons 501 for communicable devices 200.

For example, in FIG. 29, the device icons 501 for the incommunicabledevices 200 are represented as device icons 2601. The device icons 2601are displayed translucently. This allows the user to immediatelyrecognize that the devices 200 indicated by the device icons 2601 arecurrently out of order or cannot be controlled because of occurrence ofa communication failure.

Although the device icons 2601 are displayed translucently in FIG. 29,the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the device icons2601 may be displayed in a fainter color or more darkly than the otherdevice icons 501, or provided with an annotation mark.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing the configuration of home information 2700.The home information 2700 is managed by the server 300 for each house,and the home controller 100 controls display on the basic screen, thedevice control screen 502, and so forth on the basis of the homeinformation 2700. As shown in FIG. 30, the home information 2700includes the floor plan 500, vertex information 2800, the roominformation 2900, and a device list 4700 managed by the server.

As shown in FIG. 6, the floor plan 500 is a plan view that is preparedfor each floor of a house and that planarly represents the arrangementand the shape of one or more rooms forming the floor. In the embodiment,the floor plan 500 includes a plan view formed from image datarepresented in a bitmap format, for example.

The vertex information 2800 is information for adapting the floor plan500 to a two-dimensional coordinate-axis space to allow the homecontroller 100 to interpret the floor plan 500. The room information2900 is information for deciding the regions of rooms from the vertexinformation 2800. The vertex information 2800, the room information2900, and the device list 4700 managed by the server will be describedin detail below.

FIG. 31 is a diagram showing the configuration of the vertex information2800. As shown in FIG. 31, the vertex information 2800 includes a vertexID 2801 and a vertex coordinate 2802. The vertex ID 2801 is anidentifier that identifies a vertex on the floor plan 500. The vertexcoordinate 2802 is a coordinate represented in the format of (Xcoordinate, Y coordinate, floor number), and indicates the position of avertex of a partition line or the like represented on the floor plan500. For example, the vertex with a vertex ID of B has a vertexcoordinate (X20, Y0, Z1), which represents the position on the firstfloor (the ground floor) with an X coordinate of 20 and a Y coordinateof 0.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing the correlation between each vertexregistered in the vertex information 2800 and the floor plan 500. Itshould be noted, however, that in FIG. 33, the upper left vertex of thefloor plan 500 is the origin (with an X coordinate of 0 and a Ycoordinate of 0). For example, the vertex with a vertex ID of A has avertex coordinate (X0, Y0, Z1), and therefore is positioned at theorigin. Meanwhile, the vertex with a vertex ID of B has a vertexcoordinate (X20, Y0, Z1), and therefore is positioned at the upper rightvertex of the bath.

FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the configuration of the room information2900. As shown in FIG. 32, the room information 2900 includes a room ID2901, the room type 2902, and a room coordinate 2903. The room ID 2901is an identifier that identifies a room on the floor plan 500. The roomtype 2902 indicates the type of the room. The room coordinate 2903 isexpressed by a set of the vertex IDs 2801, and decides the region of theroom on the floor plan 500. For example, the room with a room ID of C isthe bath, and indicates a region formed by connecting the vertexes withvertex IDs of A, B, G, and F sequentially in this order on the floorplan 500. The room information 2900 includes not only information on therooms but also information on the staircase. The region with a room IDof D formed by connecting the vertexes with vertex IDs of H, I, R, and Qsequentially in this order represents the staircase.

Consequently, with the vertex information 2800 and the room information2900 provided, the home controller 100 can specify the regions of therooms represented on the floor plan 500 by plotting the vertexesindicated by the vertex information 2800 on the image data for the floorplan 500 and connecting the vertexes indicated by the room coordinate2903, and recognize the type of the rooms from the room type 2902.

The vertex information 2800 may be generated by a system administratorby causing the floor plan 500 to be displayed on a display of a personalcomputer, detecting vertexes from the displayed floor plan, andinputting the vertex ID and the vertex coordinate of the detectedvertexes to the personal computer. The vertex information 2900 may alsobe generated by the system administrator by detecting rooms from thefloor plan displayed on a display, and inputting the room ID, the roomtype, and the room coordinate of the detected rooms to a personalcomputer. Alternatively, the vertex information 2800 and the roominformation 2900 may be generated by taking in CAD data which are theoriginal data for the floor plan 500.

FIG. 34 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device list 4700managed by the server 300. As shown in FIG. 34, the device list 4700includes a device ID 4701, a device type 4702, a model number 4703, anarrangement 4704, a capability information 4705, and a control commandtransmission destination 4706.

The device ID 4701 is the identifier of the device 200. The device type4702 indicates the type of the device 200. The model number 4703indicates the model number of the device 200. The arrangement 4704 is acoordinate represented in the format of (X coordinate, Y coordinate,floor number) as with the vertex coordinate 2802, and indicates thearrangement of the device icon 501 corresponding to the device 200 onthe floor plan 500.

The display control section 103 can dispose the device icon 501 on thefloor plan 500 on the basis of the arrangement 4704, and display thebasic screen and so forth. The capability information 4705 indicates thecontent for control of the device 200 and the state that can be acquiredfrom the device 200. For example, the air conditioner with a device IDof A can be controlled for the temperature, the air flow direction, andthe air flow amount. The control command transmission destination 4706indicates the transmission destination of a control command forcontrolling the device 200. For example, the control commandtransmission destination 4706 for the air conditioner with a device IDof A is the device, and therefore a control command is directlytransmitted from the home controller 100 to the device 200. Meanwhile,the control command transmission destination 4706 for the refrigeratorwith a device ID of C is the server, and therefore a control command istransmitted from the home controller 100 to the device 200 via theserver 300. The control command is a command for operating the device200 or confirming the state of the device 200.

The current state of the device 200 may be registered in the device list4700. This allows the server 300 to notify the home controller 100 ofthe state of the relevant device 200 in the case where a request forconfirmation of the state of the device 200 is made from the homecontroller 100.

As discussed above, in order to dispose the device icon 501 on the floorplan 500 on the basis of the actual arrangement of the device 200 withinthe house, the user moves the device icon 501 to an appropriate positionon the floor plan 500. Thus, for the device icon 501 of which thearrangement on the floor plan 500 is not specified by the user, a valuethat indicates an unset arrangement such as (0, 0, 0) is set as thevalue of the arrangement 4704. The display control section 103 displaysthe device icon 501 with the arrangement 4704 unset at a position on thedisplay 101 determined in advance.

The device list 4700 managed by the server may be omitted from the homeinformation 2700. In this case, the home controller 100 may directlyacquire from the device 200 information corresponding to the device type4702, the model number 4703, and the capability information 4705provided in the device list 4700 managed by the server.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the configuration of the device list 3100managed by the home controller 100. The home controller 100 disposes thedevice icons 501 on the floor plan 500 in the basic screen and controlsthe devices 200 on the basis of information in the device list 3100.

The device list 3100 includes the device ID 3101, the device type 3102,a model number 3103, the arrangement 3104, capability information 3105,a control command transmission destination 3106, and an IP address 3107.The device ID 3101 to the control command transmission destination 3106are the same in content as those with the same name in FIG. 34.

In the device list 3100, the content of the device type 3102, the modelnumber 3103, the arrangement 3104, the capability information 3105, thecontrol command transmission destination 3106 can be acquired by thedevice management section 105 by transmitting the device list 4700 fromthe server 300. The IP address 3107 is acquired from the device 200 bythe device management section 105. It should be noted, however, that thedevice management section 105 may give priority to the content of thedevice type 3102, the model number 3103, the capability information3105, and the control command transmission destination 3106 that can bedirectly acquired from the device 200 in the case where such content isavailable.

The control command transmission destination 3106 may be determined inadvance by the home controller system, may be automatically decided onthe basis of the state of the network to which the home controller 100is connected, or may be set by the user, rather than being acquired fromthe server 300 or the device 200.

Next, the flow of control performed on the device 200 by the homecontroller 100 will be described using the drawings.

FIG. 36 is a sequence diagram showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller 100 to acquire the home information 2700 from the server 300.The home controller 100 acquires the home information 2700 from theserver 300 at desired timing such as when the home controller 100 isinitially utilized or started, and generates the basic screen shown inFIG. 5 on the basis of the acquired home information 2700.

First, the device management section 105 of the home controller 100transmits a home information request to the server 300 (S3201). Here,the home information request includes at least a home controller ID thatindicates a user or a home that utilizes the home controller 100. Thehome information management section 301 of the server 300 which receivesthe home information request searches the storage section 304 for thehome information 2700 corresponding to the home controller ID (S3202),and transmits the home information 2700 to the home controller 100(S3203). The device management section 105 of the home controller 100stores the home information 2700 received from the server 300 in thestorage section 104, and the display control section 103 generates abasic screen on the basis of the home information 2700, and displays thebasic screen on the display 101 (S3204).

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to detect thedevice 200 on the network after the home controller 100 is connected tothe network will be described using FIG. 37.

In FIG. 37, a device A 200 with a device ID of A and a device B 200 of adevice ID of B shown in FIG. 31 are connected to the network.

When the home controller 100 is connected to the network when the homecontroller 100 is initially utilized or turned on (S3301), the devicemanagement section 105 of the home controller 100 broadcasts a devicesearch request to all the devices 200 on the network (S3302). The deviceA 200 which receives the device search request returns a device searchresponse to the home controller 100 (S3303). The home controller 100which receives the device search response acquires device informationfrom the device A 200 (S3304), and updates the display screen (S3305).

Similarly, the device B 200 which receives the device search requestreturns a device search response to the home controller 100 (S3306). Thehome controller 100 which receives the device search response acquiresdevice information from the device B 200 (S3307), and updates thedisplay screen (S3308). Here, the device information is information thatrepresents the device type, the model number, the capabilityinformation, and so forth of the device 200. The device managementsection 105 of the home controller 100 generates the device list 3100(see FIG. 35) on the basis of the device information.

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to detect thedevice 200 on the network when the device 200 is connected to thenetwork will be described using FIG. 38. When the device A 200 isconnected to the network when the device A 200 is initially utilized orturned on (S3401), a network connection notification is broadcast to allthe home controllers 100 on the network (S3402). In the home controller100 which receives the network connection notification, the devicemanagement section 105 acquires device information from the device A 200(S3403), and the display control section 103 updates the display screen(S3404). When the device B 200 is connected to the network, the sameprocess as for the device A 200 is performed (S3405 to S3408).

Here, the update of the display screen of the home controller 100 inFIGS. 37 and 38 (S3305, S3308, S3404, and S3408) will be described. Thehome controller 100 hides the device icon 501 corresponding to thedevice 200 until the device search response or the network connectionnotification is received from the device 200, that is, until the device200 is detected on the network. Then, the home controller 100 whichreceives the device search response displays the device icon 501 for thecorresponding device 200 on the screen. Alternatively, the homecontroller 100 displays the device icon 501 for the undetected device200 in a faint color (for example, translucently) compared to the deviceicon 501 for the detected device 200. Then, the home controller 100which receives the device search response changes the color of thedevice icon 501 for the undetected device 200 to the same color as thecolor of the device icon 501 for the detected device 200.

FIGS. 39A and 39B are each a flowchart showing the flow of a process forthe home controller 100 to control the device 200 according to thepresent disclosure.

First, the touch panel control section 102 senses that the device icon501 representing a certain device 200 is selected by the user on thebasic screen (S3501). Next, the display control section 103 retracts allthe device icons 501 out of the display region of the device controlscreen 502 (S3502). In this case, the device icons 501 are retracted asshown in FIGS. 11 and 13.

Next, the display control section 103 adjusts the display positions ofthe retracted device icons 501 (S3503). For example, the selected deviceicons 501 are adjusted so as to be displayed at particular positions asshown in FIGS. 12 and 14.

Next, the display control section 103 judges whether the device controlscreen 502 corresponding to the device icon 501 selected by the user isa dedicated screen or a floor plan (S3504).

Here, the device control screen 502 which is a dedicated screen refersto the device control screen 502 prepared separately from the floor planand displayed as overlapped on the floor plan as shown in FIG. 13. Onthe other hand, the device control screen 502 which is a floor planrefers to the device control screen 502 which is the floor plan itself.

For example, if the illumination device can be turned on and off oradjusted for the brightness by the user by directly tapping on theregion of a room on the floor plan in which the illumination device isdisposed, the illumination device can be operated with presence. In thecase where the user attempts to operate a plurality of illuminationdevices installed in the living room at the same time, meanwhile, theentire screen is covered by the device control screens 502 dedicated tothe illumination devices if the device control screens 502 dedicated tothe individual illumination devices are displayed on the floor plan atthe same time, which lowers the viewability.

Thus, in the following description, it is assumed that the devicecontrol screen 502 for the illumination device is a floor plan.Specifically, when the user selects the device icon 501 for theillumination device installed in a certain room in the basic screen, allthe device icons 501 are retracted out of the display region of thefloor plan, and the floor plan becomes ready to receive an operation forthe illumination device in the room. Then, when the user taps on theregion of the room on the floor plan in which the selected illuminationdevice is installed, one or more illumination devices within the roomcan be operated at the same time.

For example, when the user taps on the region of a room with theillumination devices in the room turned off, one or more illuminationdevices in the room are turned on at the same time. Next, when the usertaps on the region, the one or more illumination devices are turned offat the same time.

In the case where the device control screen 502 is a floor plan inS3504, and if the region of the room in which the device icon 501 isdisposed is equal to or less than a certain size (YES in S3506), thedisplay control section 103 causes the device control screen 502dedicated to the device in which the region of the room is displayed asenlarged to be displayed as overlapped on the floor plan (S3507). Here,for example, a floor plan formed by clipping the floor plan of therelevant room from the floor plan for the entire floor and enlarging theclipped floor plan is displayed as overlapped on the floor plan for theentire floor.

If the region of the room in which the device icon 501 is disposed isnot equal to or less than the certain size (NO in S3506), on the otherhand, the display control section 103 displays the floor plan as thedevice control screen 502 (S3508).

Information as to whether a dedicated screen or a floor plan is adoptedas the device control screen 502 for each device 200 is stored inadvance in the storage section 104. Thus, the display control section103 may reference the information to determine whether the devicecontrol screen 502 is a dedicated screen or a floor plan.

In addition, the display control section 103 may calculate the size ofthe relevant room by specifying the vertexes of the relevant room fromthe room information 2900, specifying the coordinates of the specifiedvertexes from the vertex information 2800, and calculating the area of aregion surrounded by the specified coordinates of the vertexes. Then,the result of determination in S3506 may be NO if the size of the roomis not equal to or less than the certain size determined in advance, andthe result of determination in S3506 may be YES if the size of the roomis equal to or less than the certain size.

In the case where the device control screen 502 is a dedicated screen inS3504, on the other hand, the display control section 103 displays thededicated screen as overlapped on the floor plan (S3505).

In S3509, the touch panel control section 102 senses that a contactingobject (here, a finger of the user) starts contacting the display 101.

Next, the touch panel control section 102 determines whether or not thecontact target is the device icon 501 (S3510).

If it is determined that the device icon 501 is contacted (YES inS3510), the touch panel control section 102 determines whether or notthe contacting object contacts the same device icon 501 as the deviceicon 501 selected in S3501 (S3511). In the case where it is determinedthat the contacting object contacts the same device icon 501 as thedevice icon 501 selected in S3501 (YES in S3511), the display controlsection 103 hides the device control screen 502 being displayed todisplay the basic screen (S3514).

In the case where the touch panel control section 102 determines thatthe device icon 501 is not contacted (NO in S3510), the touch panelcontrol section 102 further determines whether or not the contact targetis the device control screen 502 (S3512). In the case where it isdetermined that the contact target is not the device control screen 502(NO in S3512), the display control section 103 hides the device controlscreen 502 being displayed, and the basic screen is displayed (S3514).

If the touch panel control section 102 determines that the contactingobject contacts a button or the like within the device control screen502 (YES in S3512), on the other hand, the process is advanced to S3513,where a control flow that is specific to the device is executed (S3513).

Next, the control flow that is specific to the device executed in S3513will be described in detail using FIG. 40. First, the device controlsection 106 decides the content of control that is specific to thedevice in accordance with the content of a contact by the contactingobject (S3601). Next, the device control section 106 generates a controlcommand according to the content of control (S3602). It is assumed thatthe user taps on the button for raising the temperature with the devicecontrol screen 502 for the air conditioner displayed as shown in FIG. 11and the touch panel control section 102 senses the tap. Then, the devicecontrol section 106 generates a control command for raising thetemperature of the air conditioner. Next, the device control section 106advances the process to S3603, where a control command transmission flowis executed.

Next, the control command transmission flow executed in S3603 will bedescribed in detail using FIG. 41. First, the device control section 106determines whether or not the home controller 100 is connected to thehome network (S3701). If the home controller 100 is connected to thehome controller (YES in S3701), the device control section 106 checksthe transmission destination of a control command in accordance with thecontent of the control command transmission destination 3106 of thedevice list 3100 (S3702). Here, the home network is a network providedwithin the home of the user. Thus, the result of determination in S3701is NO if the user operates the home controller 100 from a location awayfrom the home, and the result of determination in S3701 is YES if theuser operates the home controller 100 from a location within the home.

If the transmission destination of a control command is “DEVICE” inS3702, the device control section 106 transmits a control command to therelevant device 200 (S3703). If the transmission destination of acontrol command is “SERVER” in S3702, on the other hand, the devicecontrol section 106 transmits a control command to the server 300(S3704).

For example, in the device list 3100, the control command transmissiondestination 3106 of the air conditioner is “DEVICE”, and therefore thedevice control section 106 transmits a control command to the airconditioner. On the other hand, in the device list 3100, the controlcommand transmission destination 3106 of the refrigerator is “SERVER”,and therefore the device control section 106 transmits a control commandto the server 300.

Meanwhile, in the case where it is judged in S3701 that the homecontroller 100 is not connected to the home network (NO in S3701), theprocess in S3704 is performed.

In S3705, the device control section 106 receives the control resultfrom the device 200. Next, in the case where transmission of a controlcommand to all the devices 200 that are operated at the same time iscompleted (YES in S3706), the device control section 106 advances theprocess to S3707. In the case where transmission of a control command toall the devices 200 that are operated at the same time is not completed(NO in S3706), on the other hand, the device control section 106 returnsthe process to S3702, and repeats the processes in and after S3702.

For example, in the case where two illumination devices are installed inthe same room and the two illumination devices are set in advance to beoperated at the same time, the device control section 106 transmits acontrol command to each of the two illumination devices. The result ofdetermination in S3706 is NO for devices 200 that are not operated atthe same time as other devices 200.

Next, the display control section 103 updates the screen displayed onthe display 101 (S3707). For example, if the set temperature of the airconditioner is changed, the device control screen 502 is updated suchthat the temperature display is flashed on and off, for example, untilthe set temperature of the air conditioner is changed by a controlcommand and the temperature display stops flashing when the settemperature of the air conditioner is changed by a control command. Inthe example of the illumination device, the screen is updated such thatthe region on the floor plan of a room in which the illumination deviceis installed becomes brighter than other regions in the case where theillumination device is turned on.

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to directlycontrol the device 200 will be described using FIG. 42. First, the touchpanel control section 102 of the home controller 100 senses a useroperation on the device control screen 502 (S3801). Next, the devicecontrol section 106 of the home controller 100 generates a controlcommand according to the user operation, and transmits the controlcommand to the device 200 (S3802).

The device 200 which receives the control command executes the controlcommand (S3803), and transmits the control result to the home controller100 (S3804). The display control section 103 of the home controller 100which receives the control result updates the display screen inaccordance with the control result (S3805).

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to control thedevice 200 by way of the server 300 will be described using FIG. 43.First, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100senses a user operation on the device control screen 502 (S3901). Next,the device control section 106 of the home controller 100 generates acontrol command according to the user operation, and transmits thecontrol command to the server 300 (S3902).

The server 300 which receives the control command transmits the relevantcontrol command to the device 200 (S3903). The device 200 which receivesthe control command executes the control command (S3904), and transmitsthe control result to the server 300 (S3905). The server 300 whichreceives the control result transmits the control result to the homecontroller 100 (S3906). The display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 which receives the control result updates the displayscreen in accordance with the control result (S3907).

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to confirm thedevice state of the device 200 by way of the server 300 will bedescribed using FIG. 44. First, the device 200 transmits the currentdevice state to the server 300 (S4001). Here, the device 200 transmitsthe device state to the server 300 when the device 200 is turned on,when the device 200 is turned off, when the device state is changed, orregularly to cause the server 300 to store the device state. The processin S4001 may be executed asynchronously with the processes in S4002 toS4006.

Next, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100senses a user operation on the device control screen 502 (S4002). Next,the device control section 106 of the home controller 100 generates acontrol command according to the user operation, and transmits thecontrol command to the server 300 (S4003). Here, a control command forconfirming the device state of the device 200 is generated.

The server 300 which receives the control command searches for thecurrent device state of the relevant device 200 (S4004), and transmitsthe device state of the relevant device 200 to the home controller 100as the control result (S4005). The display control section 103 of thehome controller 100 which receives the control result updates thedisplay screen in accordance with the control result (S4006). Forexample, if the device control screen 502 for the device 200 isdisplayed on the display 101, the content of the device control screen502 for the device 200 is updated in accordance with the control result.

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to directlycontrol the devices 200 in the case where the home controller 100controls a plurality of devices 200 with one operation will be describedusing FIG. 45. Here, a case where the home controller 100 controls thedevice A 200 and the device B 200 is described as an example.

First, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100senses a user operation on the device control screen 502 (S4101). Next,the device control section 106 of the home controller 100 generates acontrol command according to the user operation, and transmits thecontrol command to the device A 200 (S4102).

The device A 200 which receives the control command executes the controlcommand (S4103), and transmits the control result to the home controller100 (S4104).

Next, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100transmits to the device B 200 a control command that is the same as thecontrol command transmitted to the device A 200 (S4105). The device B200 which receives the control command executes the control command(S4106), and transmits the control result to the home controller 100(S4107).

The display control section 103 of the home controller 100 whichreceives the control result updates the display screen in accordancewith the control result (S4108). In this case, for example, if thedevice control screens 502 for the devices A 200 and B 200 are displayedon the display 101, the content of the device control screens 502 forthe devices A 200 and B 200 is updated in accordance with the controlresult.

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to control thedevices 200 by way of the server 300 in the case where the homecontroller 100 controls a plurality of devices 200 with one operationwill be described using FIG. 46. Here, a case where the home controller100 controls the device A 200 and the device B 200 is described as anexample. In addition, it is assumed that the devices A 200 and B 200 arerepresented by one device icon 501, and controlled using one devicecontrol screen 502.

First, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100senses a user operation on the device control screen 502 (S4201).

Next, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100generates a control command for the device A 200 according to the useroperation, and transmits the control command to the server 300 (S4202).

The server 300 which receives the control command for the device A 200transmits the control command to the device A 200 (S4203). The device A200 which receives the control command executes the control command(S4204), and transmits the control result to the server 300 (S4205). Theserver 300 which receives the control result transmits the controlresult to the home controller 100 (S4206).

Similarly, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100generates a control command for the device B 200 according to the useroperation, and transmits the control command to the server 300 (S4207).

The server 300 which receives the control command transmits the controlcommand to the device B 200 (S4208). The device B 200 which receives thecontrol command executes the control command (S4209), and transmits thecontrol result to the server 300 (S4210). The server 300 which receivesthe control result transmits the control result to the home controller100 (S4211).

Then, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 updatesthe display screen in accordance with the control result (S4212).

Next, the flow of a process for the home controller 100 to control thedevices 200 by way of the server 300 in the case where the homecontroller 100 controls a plurality of devices 200 with one operationwill be described using FIG. 47. Here, a case where the home controller100 controls the device A 200 and the device B 200 is described as anexample. In addition, it is assumed that the devices A 200 and B 200 arerepresented by one device icon 501, and controlled using one devicecontrol screen 502.

First, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100senses a user operation on the device control screen 502 (S4301).

Next, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100generates a control command for the device A 200 and the device B 200 inaccordance with the user operation, and transmits the control command tothe server 300 (S4302).

The server 300 which receives the control command transmits the controlcommand to the device A 200 (S4303). The device A 200 which receives thecontrol command executes the control command (S4304), and transmits thecontrol result to the server 300 (S4305).

Similarly, the server 300 transmits the control command to the device B200 (S4306). The device B 200 which receives the control commandexecutes the control command (S4307), and transmits the control resultto the server 300 (S4308). The server 300 which receives the controlresult for the device A 200 and the device B 200 transmits the controlresult to the home controller 100 (S4309).

Then, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 updatesthe display screen in accordance with the control result (S4310).

Next, the flow of a process for a case where the device icon 501 ismoved in the home controller 100 will be described using FIG. 48. Here,it is assumed that the user owns two home controllers A 100 and A 200.

When the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller A 100senses movement of the device icon 501 (S4801), the display controlsection 103 updates the display screen (S4802). Here, the displaycontrol section 103 displays the device icon 501 moved in accordancewith the amount of a drag performed on the device icon 501 by the user.

The device management section 105 of the home controller A 100 transmitsto the server 300 a device list update notification including thecoordinate on the floor plan 500 after the drag (S4803). Here, thedevice management section 105 of the home controller A 100 updates thecontent of the arrangement 3104 of the relevant device 200 in the devicelist 3100 managed by the device management section 105 itself with thecoordinate after the drag.

The server 300 which receives the device list update notificationupdates the device list 4700 (S4804). In this case, the home informationmanagement section 301 of the server 300 updates the content of thearrangement 4704 of the relevant device 200 in the device list 4700 withthe coordinate included in the device list update notification.

Subsequently, the server 300 transmits the device list updatenotification to the home controller B 100 (S4805). The home controller B100 which receives the device list update notification updates thedisplay screen (S4806). Here, the device management section 105 of thehome controller B 100 updates the content of the arrangement 3104 of therelevant device 200 in the device list 3100 managed by the devicemanagement section 105 itself with the coordinate included in the devicelist update notification.

The device icon 501 is disposed at an appropriate position on the floorplan 500 through the process described above. Because the homecontroller B 100 is notified of the update of the arrangement positionof the device icon 501 performed by the home controller A 100 by way ofthe server 300, the arrangement position of the device icon 501 afterthe update is shared among the home controllers A 100 and B 100 and theserver 300. Therefore, it is possible to avoid trouble in which thearrangement position of the device icon 501 is different between thehome controller A 100 and the home controller B 100.

Next, an example of a process for updating the device lists of the homecontroller 100 and the server 300 will be described using FIG. 49. Thedevice 200 transmits the device state indicating the current state ofthe device 200 itself to the server 300 (S4901). Here, the device 200may regularly transmit the device state, or may transmit the devicestate when the state is varied. The server 300 updates the device list4700 in accordance with the content of the received device state(S4902). Here, in the case where the device list 4700 does not containinformation on the device 200, the server 300 adds information on thedevice 200 as a new device. Then, the server 300 transmits a device listupdate notification to the home controller 100 (S4903). The devicemanagement section 105 of the home controller 100 updates the devicelist 3100 in accordance with the content of the received device listupdate notification (S4904). Here, in the case where the device list3100 does not contain information on the device 200, the devicemanagement section 105 adds information on the device 200 as a newdevice. Then, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100updates the display screen (S4905).

Consequently, the server 300 is notified of variation in state of thedevice 200, which allows the server 300 to monitor variation in state ofthe device 200. The server 300 to which the device state is transmittedfrom the device 200 notifies the home controller 100 of variation instate of the device 200, which allows the home controller 100 torecognize the current state of the device 200. In the case where a newdevice 200 is connected to the home network, the server 300 and the homecontroller 100 can add the new device. Hence, it is possible to preventoccurrence of deviation between the actual state of the device 200 andthe state of the device 200 recognized by the home controller 100.

Next, another example of the process for updating the device lists ofthe home controller 100 and the server 300 will be described using FIG.50. The device 200 transmits the device state to the home controller 100(S5001). Here, the device 200 may regularly transmit the device state,or may transmit the device state when the state is varied.

The device management section 105 of the home controller 100 updates thedevice list 3100 in accordance with the content of the received devicestate (S5002). Here, in the case where the device list 3100 does notcontain information on the device 200, the device management section 105adds information on the device 200 as a new device. Then, the displaycontrol section 103 updates the display screen (S5003). Then, the devicemanagement section 105 of the home controller 100 transmits a devicelist update notification to the server 300 (S5004). The server 300updates the device list 4700 in accordance with the received device listupdate notification (S5005). Here, in the case where the device list4700 does not contain information on the device 200, the server 300 addsinformation on the device 200 as a new device.

Next, still another example of a process in which the home controller100 and the server 300 update the device list will be described usingFIG. 51. In FIG. 51, a case where the user owns two home controllers100, namely an in-home home controller 100 and an out-home homecontroller 100, is described as an example. Here, the out-home homecontroller 100 is a home controller 100 taken away from the home by theuser, and the in-home home controller 100 is a home controller 100 keptat the home by the user.

The device 200 transmits the device state to the in-home home controller100 (S5101). The in-home home controller 100 updates the device list3100 in accordance with the content of the received device state(S5102). Here, in the case where the device list 3100 does not containinformation on the device 200, the device management section 105 addsinformation on the device 200 as a new device. Then, the display screenis updated (S5103). Then, the in-home home controller 100 transmits adevice list update notification to the server 300 (S5104).

The server 300 updates the device list 4700 in accordance with thecontent of the received device list update notification (S5105). Here,in the case where the device list 4700 does not contain information onthe device 200, the server 300 adds information on the device 200 as anew device. Then, the server 300 transmits a device list updatenotification to the out-home home controller 100 (S5106). The out-homehome controller 100 updates the device list 3100 in accordance with thecontent of the received device list update notification (S5107). Here,in the case where the device list 3100 does not contain information onthe device 200, the device management section 105 of the out-home homecontroller 100 adds information on the device 200 as a new device. Then,the display screen is updated (S5108).

According to the example, even in the case where one home controller 100is located away from the home and the other home controller 100 islocated in the home, it is possible to prevent occurrence of deviationbetween the states of the device 200 recognized by the two homecontrollers 100.

The sequences and the process flows described above are merelyexemplary, and the order of the steps may be changed and some of thesteps may be omitted as long as the intended process may be embodied.For example, a control command may be transmitted to the device A 200and the device B 200 asynchronously.

In the foregoing description, a plan view that planarly represents theposition and the shape of rooms forming each floor is adopted as thefloor plan 500. However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and adiagram that schematically shows how many rooms of what type are locatedon each floor may be adopted as the floor plan.

Floor plans in other patterns will be specifically described below. FIG.52 is a diagram showing a floor plan 5200 in another pattern. In thefloor plan 5200, rooms forming one floor are each represented by onerectangular block, and the rooms on the one floor are disposed in amatrix. The blocks have the same size, and are each provided with thename of the room.

In the floor plan 5200, the name and the number of the rooms formingeach floor are indicated, but the relative size and the position in thefloor of the rooms are not represented. In the embodiment, such adiagram is treated as the floor plan 5200. That is, in the embodiment,any diagram that represents at least what rooms are provided on eachfloor are treated as the floor plan.

For example, it is seen that a floor plan 5201 for the first floorincludes rooms such as a living room, a kitchen, a dining room, a bath,a lavatory, a toilet, a staircase, and a hallway. Meanwhile, it is seenthat a floor plan 5202 for the second floor includes rooms such as amain bedroom, a bedroom 1, a bedroom 1, a child's room, and a staircase.

The user can drag and move a desired room on the floor plan 5200 tochange the position of the room on the floor plan 5200. In the casewhere a large number of devices 200 are disposed within a room and allthe device icons 501 cannot be displayed within the room on the floorplan 5200 using a default room size, the display control section 103 mayincrease the size of the room such that all the device icons 501 can beaccommodated within the room.

FIG. 53 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen thatadopts the floor plan 5200. The floor plan 5200 is displayed on thebasic screen. In addition, the device icons 501 for the devices 200actually disposed are displayed within each room.

For example, the device icons 501 for the television set and theillumination device are displayed in the living room, and therefore itis seen that the television set and the illumination device areinstalled in the living room.

The device list display change button 503 is a button for switching thescreen display from the basic screen to the device list display screendiscussed earlier (see FIG. 24).

FIG. 54 is a diagram showing the display state of the device controlscreen 502 for a case where the floor plan 5200 shown in FIG. 52 isadopted. In the basic screen shown in FIG. 53, when the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses that the user selects the device icon 501,the display control section 103 causes the display 101 to display thedevice control screen 502 corresponding to the selected device icon 501.In FIG. 54, the device icon 501 for the air conditioner is selected, andtherefore the device control screen 502 for the air conditioner isdisplayed as overlapped on the floor plan 5200.

In displaying the device control screen 502, the display control section103 disposes the device icons 501 displayed on the floor plan 5200outside the display region of the device control screen 502. In theexample of FIG. 54, all the device icons 501 are disposed in onevertical line on the left side of the floor plan 5200.

In disposing the device icons 501 in one vertical line on the left sideof the floor plan 5200, the display control section 103 may group thedevice icons 501 under particular conditions. For example, the deviceicons 501 may be grouped in accordance with the room, may be grouped inaccordance with the type of the device 200, or may be grouped inaccordance with the category based on the type of the device 200.

In the example of FIG. 54, the device icons 501 are disposed on the leftside of the floor plan 5200. However, the device icons 501 may bedisposed in one vertical line on the right side of the floor plan 5200,or may be disposed in one horizontal line on the upper or lower side ofthe floor plan 5200.

In the case where all the device icons 501 cannot be displayed on theleft side of the floor plan 5200, the display control section 103 mayscroll the device icons 501 upward or downward in accordance with aswipe operation performed upward or downward on the device icons 501disposed in one line on the left side to cause the device icons 501,which have been hidden, to be displayed within the display 101.

In disposing the device icons 501 in one vertical line on the left sideof the floor plan 5200, the display control section 103 may display thedevice icon 501 selected by the user in a display mode that is differentfrom that for the unselected device icons 501. For example, the selecteddevice icon 501 may be displayed in a color that is different from thatof the unselected device icons 501, may be displayed more brightly thanthe unselected device icons 501, may be displayed more densely than theunselected device icons 501, or may be flashed on and off at a constantcycle.

The display control section 103 may scroll an array of the device icons501 such that the device icon 501 selected by the user is positioned ata conspicuous position (for example, the top, middle, or bottomposition) in the line of icons.

In displaying the device control screen 502, the display control section103 may dispose all the device icons 501 on the outer periphery of anellipse as shown in FIG. 12.

Next, transition between the display state of the basic screen and thedisplay state of the device control screen 502 will be described usingFIG. 55.

In the basic screen shown in the left diagram of FIG. 55, the userselects the device icon 501 for the device 200 (here, the airconditioner) that is desired to be controlled, and the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses the selection. Then, as shown in the rightdiagram of FIG. 55, the display control section 103 displays the devicecontrol screen 502 corresponding to the selected device icon 501 asoverlapped on the floor plan 5200. This results in transition from thedisplay state of the basic screen to the display state of the devicecontrol screen 502.

On the other hand, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 55, in thedisplay state of the device control screen 502, the user selects thedevice icon 501 for the air conditioner corresponding to the devicecontrol screen 502 or a location outside the display region of thedevice control screen 502 (for example, the display region of the floorplan 5200 outside the display region of the device control screen 502),and the touch panel control section 102 senses the selection. Then, asshown in the left diagram of FIG. 55, the display control section 103erases the device control screen 502, and returns from the display stateof the device control screen 502 to the display state of the basicscreen.

FIG. 56 is a diagram showing the configuration of a floor plan 5600 fora case where the size of each block is varied in accordance with theactual room size in the floor plan 5200 shown in FIG. 52.

In the left diagram of FIG. 56, a floor plan 5601 for the first floor isshown. In the right diagram of FIG. 56, a floor plan 5602 for the secondfloor is shown.

In the floor plan 5601 for the first floor, the living room is thelargest in terms of the room size, and is followed by the kitchen, thebath, and the staircase. Therefore, the sizes of the rooms are displayedin this order. Also in the floor plan 5602 for the second floor, therooms are represented in accordance with the actual room size. In thiscase, information that indicates the actual room size may be registeredin advance in room information 6800 to be discussed later, and thedisplay control section 103 may decide the size of each room inaccordance with the information.

FIG. 57 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen thatadopts the floor plan 5600 shown in FIG. 56. In the floor plan 5600,each room is displayed with a size matching the actual size. Inaddition, the device icons 501 for the devices 200 actually disposed aredisplayed in each room.

In the case where the mode in which each room is represented with a sizematching the actual room size on the floor plan 5600 is adopted,displaying all the rooms within the display 101 may result in smalldisplay of the rooms to make a user operation difficult. Thus, a roomdisplay button 5603 with a text “DISPLAY OTHER ROOMS” is provided inFIG. 57.

When the user selects the room display button and the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses the selection, the display control section103 switches the screen display to the floor plan 5600 which displaysthe remaining rooms.

In the example of FIG. 57, the floor plan 5600 is partitioned into thefloor plan 5601 for the first floor and the floor plan 5602 for thesecond floor. Therefore, when the room display button 5603 is selected,the display control section 103 switches display on the display 101 tothe floor plan 5602 for the second floor. In this case, the room displaybutton 5603 is also provided on the floor plan 5602 for the secondfloor. Therefore, when the room display button 5603 is selected, thedisplay control section 103 switches display on the display 101 to thefloor plan 5601 for the first floor.

Although the floor plan is provided for each floor in the example ofFIG. 57, the embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, in the casewhere the floor plan 5601 for the first floor cannot be displayed on thedisplay 101 at the same time, the display control section 103 may dividethe floor plan 5601 for the first floor, and display a divided portionof the floor plan 5601 on the display 101. In this case, when the roomdisplay button 5603 is selected, a hidden portion of the floor plan 5601for the first floor may be displayed.

In the case where the floor plan 5601 for the first floor and the floorplan 5602 for the second floor can be displayed on the display 101 atthe same time, the display control section 103 may display the floorplan 5601 for the first floor and the floor plan 5602 for the secondfloor on the display 101 at the same time. In this case, the roomdisplay button 5603 is omitted from the floor plan 5600.

In the case where the staircase is tapped on the floor plan 5600, thedisplay control section 103 may switch between the floor plan 5601 forthe first floor and the floor plan 5602 for the second floor.

FIG. 58 is a diagram showing the display state of the device controlscreen 502 for a case where the floor plan 5600 shown in FIG. 56 isadopted as the floor plan. In FIG. 58, as in FIG. 54, the device controlscreen 502 for the air conditioner is displayed. FIG. 58 is otherwisethe same as FIG. 54, and therefore is not described.

FIG. 59 is a diagram showing a floor plan 5900 in still another patternaccording to the embodiment of the disclosure. The floor plan 5900 ofFIG. 59 is the same as the floor plan 5200 in that rooms are representedby blocks of the same size, but is different from the floor plan 5200 inarrangement of the rooms. Specifically, in the floor plan 5900, thefloor numbers are displayed in the vertical direction, and the roomsforming the same floor are arranged in one horizontal line. In theexample of FIG. 59, the house has three floors, namely the first floorto the third floor, and therefore the rooms forming the third floor aredisposed in the first line, the rooms forming the second floor aredisposed in the second line, and the rooms forming the first floor aredisposed in the third line. The floor number such as 1F, 2F, and 3F isindicated at the left end of each line. It is seen at a glance from thefloor plan 5900 on which floor each room is disposed.

Also in the floor plan 5900, the size of each room may be varied inaccordance with the actual room size. In the floor plan 5900, inaddition, in the case where all the rooms cannot be displayed within thedisplay region of the display 101, the floor plan 5900 may be scrolledin the horizontal direction so that a desired room can be displayed onthe display 101.

For example, in the case where there are further rooms on the secondfloor, when the touch panel control section 102 senses that the userperforms a swipe operation from the left to the right, the displaycontrol section 103 may scroll the rooms forming the second floor, orthe rooms forming the first floor to the third floor, from the left tothe right in accordance with the amount of the swipe operation.

FIG. 60 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen thatadopts the floor plan 5900 shown in FIG. 59. The floor plan 5900 isdisplayed on the basic screen. In addition, the device icons 501 for thedevices 200 actually disposed are displayed within each room. The devicelist display change button 503 is a button for switching the screendisplay from the basic screen to the device list display screendiscussed earlier (see FIG. 24).

FIG. 61 is a diagram showing the display state of the device controlscreen 502 for a case where the floor plan 5900 shown in FIG. 59 isadopted. In the basic screen shown in FIG. 60, when the touch panelcontrol section 102 senses that the user selects the device icon 501,the display control section 103 causes the display 101 to display thedevice control screen 502 corresponding to the selected device icon 501.In FIG. 61, the device icon 501 for the air conditioner is selected, andtherefore the device control screen 502 for the air conditioner isdisplayed as overlapped on the floor plan 5900. In displaying the devicecontrol screen 502, the display control section 103 disposes the deviceicons 501 displayed on the floor plan 5900 outside the display region ofthe device control screen 502. In the example of FIG. 61, all the deviceicons 501 are disposed in one horizontal line on the lower side of thefloor plan 5900.

In disposing the device icons 501 in one vertical line on the lower sideof the floor plan 5900, the display control section 103 may group thedevice icons 501 under particular conditions. For example, the deviceicons 501 may be grouped in accordance with the room, may be grouped inaccordance with the type of the device 200, or may be grouped inaccordance with the category based on the type of the device 200.

In the example of FIG. 61, the device icons 501 are disposed on thelower side of the floor plan 5900. However, the device icons 501 may bedisposed in one horizontal line on the upper side of the floor plan5900, or may be disposed in one vertical line on the left or right sideof the floor plan 5900.

In the case where all the device icons 501 cannot be disposed on thelower side of the floor plan 500, the display control section 103 mayscroll the device icons 501 leftward or rightward in accordance with aswipe operation performed leftward or rightward on the device icons 501disposed in one horizontal line on the lower side to cause the deviceicons 501, which have been hidden, to be displayed within the display101.

In disposing the device icons 501 in one horizontal line on the lowerside of the floor plan 5900, the display control section 103 may displaythe device icon 501 selected by the user in a display mode that isdifferent from that for the unselected device icons 501. For example,the selected device icon 501 may be displayed in a color that isdifferent from that of the unselected device icons 501, may be displayedmore brightly than the unselected device icons 501, may be displayedmore densely than the unselected device icons 501, or may be flashed onand off at a constant cycle.

The display control section 103 may scroll an array of the device icons501 such that the device icon 501 selected by the user is positioned ata conspicuous position (for example, the leftmost, middle, or rightmostposition) in the line of icons.

In displaying the device control screen 502, the display control section103 may dispose all the device icons 501 on the outer periphery of anellipse as shown in FIG. 12.

In the floor plan 5900, the rooms on all the floors are displayed on thedisplay 101 at the same time, which may result in small display of therooms to make a user operation difficult. Thus, the display controlsection 103 may display the floor plan 5900 as enlarged in accordancewith the user operation. Specifically, when the user performs anoperation of pinching out on a certain room in the floor plan 5900 andthe touch panel control section 102 senses the operation, the displaycontrol section 103 may display the room on the display 101 as enlargedat an enlargement scale matching the amount of the pinch out.

FIG. 62 is a diagram showing a floor plan that displays a certain roomin the floor plan 5900 as enlarged. As shown in FIG. 62, the displaycontrol section 103 may display a plan view that planarly represents theshape of the relevant room as overlapped on the floor plan 5900.Alternatively, the display control section 103 may switch to displayingthe plan view. This allows the user to grasp the configuration of therooms in the house and the devices 200 disposed in each room on thefloor plan 5900 shown in FIG. 60, and to grasp the actual arrangementposition of the devices 200 in the enlarged room on the floor plan 5900shown in FIG. 62.

In the floor plan 5900 not displayed as enlarged shown in FIG. 60, it isnot necessary for the display control section 103 to display the deviceicons 501 for all the devices 200 disposed within the rooms, and thedisplay control section 103 may display only some of the device icons501.

In this case, the display control section 103 may display one or aplurality of (for example, two) device icons 501 frequently used by theuser on the floor plan 5900. Alternatively, the display control section103 may not display the device icons 501 on the floor plan 5900 notdisplayed as enlarged. This prevents the viewability of the floor plan5900 from being lowered because of an increased number of the deviceicons 501 displayed on the floor plan 5900 not displayed as enlarged.

FIG. 63 is a diagram showing the display state of the device controlscreen 502 in the floor plan 5900 displayed as enlarged shown in FIG.62. In FIG. 63, as in FIG. 54, the device control screen 502 for the airconditioner is displayed. In FIG. 63, only the device icons 501 disposedin the room (living room) displayed as enlarged are displayed on theleft side of the plan view and in the block of the living room. In theexample of FIG. 62, the device icons 501 for the air conditioner, theillumination device, and the television set are displayed in the livingroom within the plan view, and the device icon 501 for the airconditioner is selected by the user. Therefore, the device icons 501 aredisplayed in one vertical line on the left side of the plan view.

In the case where a certain room is displayed as enlarged, it is highlylikely that the user operates the device 200 disposed within the room.In the case where a certain room is displayed as enlarged, in addition,the device icons 501 for devices in the other rooms are not displayed onthe display 101. Therefore, if the device icons 501 for devices disposedin the other rooms are displayed on the left side of the plan view whenthe user selects a certain device icon 501, the user may be given asense of wrongness.

Thus, in the case where a certain room is displayed as enlarged, thedisplay control section 103 causes only the device icons 501 for thedevices 200 disposed in the room to be displayed in one vertical line onthe left side of the plan view. In the example of FIG. 64, the deviceicons 501 are displayed on the left side of the plan view. However, thedevice icons 501 may be displayed in one vertical line on the right sideof the plan view, or may be displayed in one horizontal line on theupper or lower side of the plan view.

FIG. 64 is a diagram showing screen transition from the display state ofthe basic screen to the display state of the device control screen 502.It is assumed that the user taps on the device icon 501 for the airconditioner, for example, in the basic screen which displays the floorplan 5900 not displayed as enlarged as shown in the upper left diagramof FIG. 64. Then, as shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 64, thedisplay control section 103 displays the device control screen 502 forthe air conditioner as overlapped on the basic screen. In the screenshown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 64, on the other hand, when theuser taps on a region on the floor plan 5900 other than the devicecontrol screen 502 or taps on the device icon 501 for the airconditioner, the display control section 103 returns the screen displayto the basic screen shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 64.

It is assumed that the user pinches out on the living room in the basicscreen shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 64. Then, as shown in thelower left diagram of FIG. 64, the display control section 103 enlargesthe block of the living room, and at the same time displays the planview of the living room having a size matching the size of the enlargedblock as overlapped on the enlarged block. It is assumed that the userpinches in on the living room in the lower left diagram of FIG. 64.Then, the display control section 103 returns the screen display to thebasic screen shown in the upper left diagram of FIG. 64.

When the device icon 501 for the air conditioner, for example, isselected in the basic screen shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 64,the display control section 103 displays the device control screen 502for the air conditioner as overlapped on the plan view as shown in thelower right diagram of FIG. 64. In the lower right diagram of FIG. 64,when the user taps on a region on the floor plan 5900 other than thedevice control screen 502 or on the device icon 501 for the airconditioner, the display control section 103 returns the screen displayto the screen shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 64.

FIG. 65 is a diagram showing the configuration of a basic screen 5900which adopts the floor plan shown in FIG. 59 and in which device icons501 are not displayed. In the mode shown in FIG. 65, only rooms formingeach floor are displayed, and the device icons 501 are not displayed.

FIG. 66 is a diagram showing screen transition from the display state ofthe basic screen to the display state of the device control screen 502for a case where the basic screen in which device icons 501 are notdisplayed is adopted. It is assumed that the user pinches out on theliving room, for example, in the basic screen shown in the upper leftdiagram of FIG. 66. Then, as shown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 66,the display control section 103 displays the block of the living room asenlarged, and displays the plan view of the living room as overlapped onthe block displayed as enlarged. It is assumed that the user taps on thedevice icon 501 for the air conditioner, for example, in the screenshown in the lower left diagram of FIG. 66. Then, as shown in the lowerright diagram of FIG. 66, the display control section 103 displays thedevice control screen 502 for the air conditioner as overlapped on theplan view of the living room, and disposes the device icons 501 for theliving room in one vertical line on the left side of the plan view ofthe living room. In the lower right diagram of FIG. 66, when the usertaps on a region on the floor plan 5900 and outside the display regionof the device control screen 502, the display control section 103returns the display screen to the screen shown in the lower left diagramof FIG. 66.

FIG. 67 is a diagram showing the configuration of the home information2700 for a case where the floor plan 5200 shown in FIG. 52 is adopted.As shown in FIG. 67, the home information 6400 includes the floor plan5200, the room information 6800, and the device list 4700 managed by theserver. In the floor plan 5200, the display positions of the rooms aredetermined in advance. Therefore, the vertex information 2800 includedin the home information 2700 is omitted from the home information 6400.

The floor plan 5200 is image data obtained by representing the floorplan 5200 shown in FIG. 52 in a bitmap format, for example.Alternatively, the floor plan 5200 may be information that prescribesthe color, the shape, the size, and so forth for displaying the floorplan 5200. The room information 6800 is information for deciding theregions of rooms from the floor plan 5200.

FIG. 68 is a diagram showing the configuration of room information 6800shown in FIG. 67. As shown in FIG. 68, the room information 6800includes a room ID 6801, a room type 6802, a floor level 6803, and adisplay position 6804. The room ID 6801 is an identifier that identifiesa room on the floor plan 5200. The room type 6802 indicates the type ofthe room. The floor level 6803 indicates the floor level (floor) onwhich the room is disposed. The display position 6804 indicates thearrangement position of the room on the floor plan 5200.

FIG. 69 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence betweenthe display position 6804 in the room information 6800 and the floorplan 5200. As shown in FIG. 69, the order of the blocks on the floorplan 5200 is prescribed such that the block in the first row and thefirst column corresponds to the first cell, the block in the first rowand the second column corresponds to the second cell, the block in thefirst row and the third column corresponds to the third cell, the blockin the second row and the first column corresponds to the fourth cell,and so forth.

For example, the room with a room ID 6801 of A has a display position6804 of “FIRST CELL ON FIRST FLOOR”. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 69, thedisplay control section 103 interprets the block in the first cell (inthe first row and the first column) on the floor plan 5201 for the firstfloor as the living room.

In the example of FIG. 69, the blocks are disposed in three horizontallines, and therefore the cell in the second row and the first columncorresponds to the fourth cell, and the cell in the third row and thefirst column corresponds to the seventh cell. It should be noted,however, that this is merely exemplary. For example, in the case wherethe cells are arranged in four columns in the horizontal direction, thecorrelation between the order of the cells and the arrangement positionsof the blocks is changed as appropriate in accordance with the number ofblocks in the horizontal direction, and the cell in the second row andthe first column corresponds to the fifth cell, and the cell in thethird row and the first column corresponds to the ninth cell.

FIG. 70 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list 4700managed by the server 300 for a case where the floor plan 5200 shown inFIG. 52 is adopted. It is not necessary for the floor plan 5200 toindicate the arrangement position of the device 200 in the room.Therefore, in the device list 4700 shown in FIG. 70, unlike FIG. 34, theroom type 6802 is registered in the arrangement 4704. The device list4700 shown in FIG. 70 is otherwise the same as the device list 4700shown in FIG. 34. For example, the air conditioner with a device ID 4701of A is disposed in the living room, and therefore “LIVING ROOM” isregistered in the arrangement 4704. In the example of FIG. 70, the roomtype 6802 is adopted as the arrangement 4704. However, any otherinformation that specifies a room may be registered. For example, theroom ID 6801 may be adopted as the arrangement 4704.

FIG. 71 is a diagram showing the configuration of a device list 3100managed by the home controller 100 for a case where the floor plan 5200shown in FIG. 52 is adopted. Also in the device list 3100 of FIG. 71,for the same reason as that for the device list 4700 of FIG. 70, theroom type 6802 is registered in the arrangement 3104. The device list3100 of FIG. 71 is otherwise the same as the device list 3100 shown inFIG. 35. Also in FIG. 71, the room ID 6801 may be adopted as thearrangement 3104.

Next, the device list 3100 for a case where the plan view of a certainroom is displayed in the case where a pinch-out operation is performedon the room on the basic screen of the floor plan 5900 as shown in FIG.62 will be described. In this case, the room information 6800 shown inFIG. 68 may include an item of the plan view of the room. Then, imagedata for the plan view of the relevant room may be registered in theitem of the plan view of the room. For the plan view of the room, asshown in FIG. 33, the origin may be set at the left end of the room, forexample, the X axis and the Y axis may be set in the horizontaldirection and the vertical direction, respectively, and the position ofthe room may be represented by the X and Y coordinates.

Meanwhile, not only the room type 6802 but also the coordinate in theroom is registered in the arrangement 3104 of the device list 3100 shownin FIG. 71. This allows the display control section 103 to discriminatefrom the content of the arrangement 3104 at what position on the planview representing the room the device icon 501 is to be disposed.

In the embodiment, the server 300 is not an essential constituentelement, and various types of information managed by the server 300(such as the home information 2700 and the state of the devices 200) maybe managed by the home controller 100. This allows the embodimentdescribed above to be embodied without the server 300. In this case, itis not necessary for the home controller 100 to manage information onthe entire house, and it is only necessary to manage information relatedto the devices 200 controlled by the home controller 100 and the housein which the devices 200 are disposed.

(Display of State Confirmation Screen)

An embodiment in which, when the device icon 501 is selected, the devicecontrol screen 502 for the device 200 corresponding to the selecteddevice icon 501 is displayed on the display 101 of the home controller100 has been described above. An embodiment in which the stateconfirmation screen for the second target device is displayed on thedisplay of the first target device or the display 101 of the homecontroller 100 will be described below.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the air conditioner 201 and thetelevision set 209 are each an example of the device 200. The controldevice for the air conditioner 201 includes, as an example of the device200 shown in FIG. 3, a control execution section 211, a state managementsection 212, a storage section 214, and a communication control section217. In addition, the control device for the television set 209 alsoincludes, as an example of the device 200 shown in FIG. 3, a controlexecution section 211, a state management section 212, a storage section214, and a communication control section 217.

FIG. 72 is a diagram showing an example of the basic screen displayed onthe display 101 of the home controller 100.

As described with reference to FIG. 5, the basic screen of the homecontroller 100 displayed on the display 101 includes a floor plan 500and device icons 501. In FIG. 72, the device list display change button503 shown in FIG. 5 is not shown. The device icons 501 are displayed soas to be draggable on the floor plan 500.

In FIG. 72, a television set icon 60101 that represents the televisionset 209, an air conditioner icon 60102 that represents the airconditioner 201, a refrigerator icon 60103 that represents therefrigerator 205, an illumination device icon 60104 that represents theillumination devices 202 and 203, and a washing machine icon 60105 thatrepresents the washing machine are shown as examples of the device icon501. In the following description, such icons are referred to as thedevice icons 501 when the individual device icons are not distinguishedfrom each other.

FIG. 73 is a diagram showing the sequence of operation for displayingthe state confirmation screen 60203. FIG. 74 is a diagram showing anoperation example for displaying the state confirmation screen 60203 onthe display 101 of the home controller 100 and the display 60204 of thetelevision set 209.

In S60701 of FIG. 73, the device state (for example, the consumedelectric power amount) of the air conditioner 201 managed by the statemanagement section 212 of the air conditioner 201 is transmitted by thecommunication control section 217 of the air conditioner 201, andreceived by the communication control section 307 of the server 300. InS60702, the home information management section 301 of the server 300stores the received device state of the air conditioner 201 in thestorage section 304. S60701 and S60702 are executed asynchronously withthe other steps, and regularly for example.

In S60703, with the basic screen displayed on the display 101 of thehome controller 100 as shown in FIG. 72, the air conditioner icon 60102is dragged by the contacting object 60201, and, the touch panel controlsection 102 of the home controller 100 senses that the air conditionericon 60102 is dropped on the television set icon 60101 as shown in theleft diagram of FIG. 74.

Here, when the touch panel control section 102 senses that the airconditioner icon 60102 is dragged (long-pressed) by the contactingobject 60201, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100lowers the brightness of the device icons 501 other than the airconditioner icon 60102 and the television set icon 60101 compared to thebrightness of the air conditioner icon 60102 and the television set icon60101 as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 74.

In subsequent S60704 of FIG. 73, the device control section 106 of thehome controller 100 generates a display control command for displaying,on the display 60204 of the television set 209, information thatindicates the state of the air conditioner 201, the communicationcontrol section 107 transmits the generated display control command, andthe communication control section 307 of the server 300 receives thetransmitted display control command. The display control commandgenerated by the device control section 106 may include a command forturning on the television set 209 when the television set 209 is notturned on.

In S60705, the home information management section 301 of the server 300prepares display information for displaying the state confirmationscreen 60203 on the basis of information that indicates the device stateof the air conditioner 201 stored in the storage section 304 of theserver 300. In S60706, the communication control section 107 of the homecontroller 100 requests acquisition of the prepared display informationfrom the server 300, and acquires the requested display information.

In S60707, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100causes the display 101 to display the state confirmation screen 60203 onthe basis of the display information acquired by the communicationcontrol section 107 as shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 74.Here, the display control section 103 causes the display 101 to displaythe state confirmation screen 60203 as overlapped on the basic screenwhich represents the floor plan 500. In addition, the display controlsection 103 lowers the brightness of the basic screen which representsthe floor plan 500 compared to the brightness of the state confirmationscreen 60203. The display control section 103 may cause the display 101to simply display the state confirmation screen 60203 as overlapped onthe basic screen which represents the floor plan 500 without loweringthe brightness of the basic screen which represents the floor plan 500.

In S60708, the device control section 302 of the server 300 generates adisplay command on the basis of the display control command transmittedin S60704, and the communication control section 307 transmits thegenerated display command toward the communication control section 217of the television set 209. The display command generated by the devicecontrol section 302 may include a command for turning on the televisionset 209 when the television set 209 is not turned on.

In S60709, the communication control section 217 of the television set209 requests acquisition of the prepared display information from theserver 300, and acquires the requested display information. In S60710,the control execution section 211 of the television set 209 displays thestate confirmation screen 60203 on the display 60204 on the basis of theacquired display information as shown in the lower right diagram of FIG.74.

As shown in FIG. 74, the display screen at the time when the stateconfirmation screen 60203 is displayed on the display 101 of the homecontroller 100 and the display screen at the time when the stateconfirmation screen 60203 is displayed on the display 60204 of thetelevision set 209 may be the same display screen. Alternatively, thedisplay screen on the display 101 of the home controller 100 may bedifferent from the display screen on the display 60204 of the televisionset 209, and may be the state confirmation screen 60203 plus a devicecontrol screen for controlling the air conditioner 201 displayed by thedisplay control section 103.

In the embodiment, the display control command generated by the devicecontrol section 106 corresponds to an example of the first controlcommand, the command for turning on the television set 209 when thetelevision set 209 is not turned on corresponds to an example of thesecond control command, and the state confirmation screen 60203 of FIG.74 corresponds to an example of the confirmation screen for confirmationof the state of the second target device.

As described using FIG. 73 and FIG. 74, the state confirmation screen60203 for the air conditioner 201 can be confirmed not only on thedisplay 101 of the home controller 100 but also on the display 60204 ofthe television set 209. Therefore, even in the case where the displayarea of the display 101 of the home controller 100 is small, forexample, the display 60204 of the television set 209 with a largerdisplay area can be utilized.

In addition, only an operation of dropping the air conditioner icon60102 on the television set icon 60101 is required, and an operationscreen for utilizing the display 60204 of the television set 209 with alarger display area is not separately provided. Therefore, it ispossible to omit a plurality of steps to be taken to display anoperation screen separately from the floor plan 500 in order to displayinformation that indicates the state of the second target device on thedisplay 60204 of the television set 209 with a larger display area, andto reduce the number of process steps to be performed within the homecontroller 100 or the number of operations to be performed by the user.

In addition, when the touch panel control section 102 senses that theair conditioner icon 60102 is long-pressed by the contacting object60201, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 lowersthe brightness of the device icons 501 other than the air conditionericon 60102 and the television set icon 60101 compared to the brightnessof the air conditioner icon 60102 and the television set icon 60101.Consequently, it is possible to preliminarily prevent an erroneousoperation by the user in which the air conditioner icon 60102 iserroneously dropped on the device icon 501 other than the television seticon 60101.

In addition, in the case where the device control section 106 generatesa display control command including a command for turning on thetelevision set 209 when the television set 209 is not turned on, anoperation of dropping the air conditioner icon 60102 on the televisionset icon 60101 also serves as an operation for turning on the televisionset 209. Thus, there is no need to separately perform an operation forturning on the television set 209.

This reduces the number of process steps to be performed within the homecontroller 100 or the number of operations to be performed by the user.As a result, it is possible to reduce the time before the stateconfirmation screen 60203 for a desired second device is displayed.

In addition, when the display control section 103 displays the stateconfirmation screen 60203 on the display 101 as overlapped on the basicscreen which represents the floor plan 500, the display control section103 lowers the brightness of the basic screen which represents the floorplan 500 compared to the brightness of the state confirmation screen60203. Consequently, it is possible to prevent the floor plan 500 fromobstructing the user viewing the state confirmation screen 60203.

FIG. 75 is a diagram showing the sequence of operation for terminatingdisplay of the state confirmation screen 60203. FIG. 76 is a diagramshowing an operation example for terminating display of the stateconfirmation screen 60203.

In S60803 of FIG. 75, the touch panel control section 102 of the homecontroller 100 senses that a portion of the display 101 outside thedisplay region of the state confirmation screen 60203 is selected(tapped on) by the contacting object 60201 as shown in the upper leftdiagram of FIG. 76.

In S60804, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100generates a termination control command for terminating display of thestate confirmation screen 60203, the communication control section 107transmits the generated termination control command, and thecommunication control section 307 of the server 300 receives thetransmitted termination control command.

In S60805, as shown in the upper right diagram of FIG. 76, the displaycontrol section 103 of the home controller 100 terminates display of thestate confirmation screen 60203, and restores the original brightness ofthe basic screen which represents the floor plan 500. In S60806, thedevice control section 302 of the server 300 generates a terminationcommand on the basis of the received termination control command, andthe communication control section 307 transmits the generatedtermination command to the communication control section 217 of thetelevision set 209. In S60807, upon receiving the termination command,the control execution section 211 of the television set 209 terminatesdisplay of the state confirmation screen 60203 on the display 60204 asshown in the lower right diagram of FIG. 76.

As described using FIG. 75 and FIG. 76, when the touch panel controlsection 102 of the home controller 100 senses selection of a locationoutside the region of the state confirmation screen 60203, the displaycontrol section 103 erases display of the state confirmation screen60203 on the display 101, and restores the original brightness of thebasic screen which represents the floor plan 500. Consequently, displayof the original basic screen can be restored by exploiting the existingdisplay resource.

In FIG. 75 and FIG. 76, display of the state confirmation screen isterminated when a portion of the display 101 of the home controller 100outside the display region of the state confirmation screen 60203 istapped on by the contacting object 60201. Alternatively, display of thestate confirmation screen may be terminated when the state confirmationscreen 60203 is tapped on by the contacting object 60201. Stillalternatively, a “back” button may be displayed on the display 101, anddisplay of the state confirmation screen may be terminated when the“back” button is tapped on by the contacting object 60201.

In FIG. 75 and FIG. 76, in addition, display of the state confirmationscreen 60203 on the display 60204 of the television set 209 isterminated on the basis of an operation on the home controller 100.Alternatively, display of the state confirmation screen 60203 may beterminated on the basis of a signal from a remote controller foroperating the television set 209.

FIG. 77 is a diagram showing information stored in the storage section104 of the home controller 100. FIG. 78 is a diagram showing informationstored in the storage section 304 of the server 300.

In FIG. 77, house identification information (house ID) 61301 isinformation for identification of each house. Device identificationinformation (device ID) 61302 is information for identification of eachdevice 200. A device type 61303 is information that indicates the typeof the device 200. A cooperation type 61304 is information thatindicates whether or not the device has a display and if the device isunable to cooperate. An arrangement 61305 is information that indicatesthe arrangement position of the device 200 on the floor plan 500. InFIG. 78, a consumed electric power amount list 61401 is information thatindicates the consumed electric power amount (in units of kWh) of thedevice 200 for every predetermined period.

It is necessary that only the house ID 61301 and the device ID 61302should be stored in both the home controller 100 and the server 300. Itis only necessary that either one of the home controller 100 and theserver 300 may store the other information, namely the device type61303, the cooperation type 61304, the arrangement 61305, and theconsumed electric power amount list 61401.

In the cooperation type 61304 of FIG. 77, “WITHOUT DISPLAY” includes acase where the device 200 does not have a display, and a case where thedevice 200 has a display but the display area of the display is smallerthan the display area of the display of a device indicated by “WITHDISPLAY” (in FIG. 77, the display 60204 of the television set 209).

In the cooperation type 61304 of FIG. 77, in addition, “UNABLE TOCOOPERATE” indicates that the device 200 indicated by “UNABLE TOCOOPERATE” (in FIG. 77, the toilet 207) and the device 200 indicated by“WITH DISPLAY” (in the embodiment, the television set 209) do notcooperate with each other, and that information that indicates the stateof the device 200 indicated by “UNABLE TO COOPERATE” cannot be displayedon the display (in the embodiment, the display 60204 of the televisionset 209) of the device 200 indicated by “WITH DISPLAY”. “UNABLE TOCOOPERATE” is based on the assumption of “WITHOUT DISPLAY”. In otherwords, the devices 200 indicated by “UNABLE TO COOPERATE” are includedin the devices 200 indicated by “WITHOUT DISPLAY”.

As shown in FIG. 77, the “toilet” in the device type 61303 includesinformation “UNABLE TO COOPERATE” in the cooperation type 61304.Therefore, as shown in FIG. 78, the server 300 does not storeinformation related to the “toilet”.

In the embodiment, the device 200 with information in the cooperationtype 61304 of FIG. 77 being “WITH DISPLAY” (in FIG. 77, the televisionset 209) corresponds to an example of the first target device, thedevices 200 with information in the cooperation type 61304 of FIG. 77being “WITHOUT DISPLAY” (in FIG. 77, the air conditioner 201, theillumination devices 202 and 203, and the refrigerator 205) and thedevice 200 indicated by “UNABLE TO COOPERATE” (in FIG. 77, the toilet207) correspond to an example of the second target device, and theinformation in the consumed electric power amount list 61401 of FIG. 78corresponds to an example of the information that indicates the state ofthe second target device and an example of the log information relatedto the use history of the second target device.

In the following description, the device 200 with information in thecooperation type 61304 of FIG. 77 being “WITH DISPLAY” (in FIG. 77, thetelevision set 209) is also referred to as a “first device”, and thedevices 200 with information in the cooperation type 61304 of FIG. 77being “WITHOUT DISPLAY” (in FIG. 77, the air conditioner 201, theillumination devices 202 and 203, and the refrigerator 205) and thedevice 200 indicated by “UNABLE TO COOPERATE” (in FIG. 77, the toilet207) are also referred to as “second devices”.

Based on the information in the cooperation type 61304 of FIG. 77, thedevice management section 105 of the home controller 100 or the homeinformation management section 301 of the server 300 manages the firstdevice and the second devices, and further manages devices that areunable to cooperate among the second devices.

In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 78, the server 300 does not storeinformation related to the “toilet”. Alternatively, the server 300 maystore information related to the “toilet”.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, the toilet 207 is an example ofthe device 200. The control device for the toilet 207 includes, as anexample of the device 200 shown in FIG. 3, a control execution section211, a state management section 212, a storage section 214, and acommunication control section 217. In the embodiment, the toilet 207includes a heater that heats a toilet seat, a heater that heats water, apump that jets the heated water, and so forth. The state managementsection 212 of the toilet 207 manages the consumed electric power amountof the heaters, the pump, and so forth, and stores the consumed electricpower amount in the storage section 214.

Thus, the server 300 may further include information that indicates theconsumed electric power amount of the toilet 207 for every predeterminedperiod in the consumed electric power amount list 61401 shown in FIG.78.

FIG. 79 is a diagram showing a display example of a device icon for thedevice 200, for which the cooperation type 61304 is “UNABLE TOCOOPERATE”. In the display 101 of FIG. 79, the basic screen whichincludes the floor plan 500 is displayed. In this display state, thetouch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100 senses thatcontact between the contacting object 60201 and the toilet icon 60401which represents the toilet 207 continues for a predetermined time ormore. That is, the touch panel control section 102 senses that thecontacting object 60201 is, what is called, long-pressing the toileticon 60401.

Then, since the cooperation type 61304 of the toilet 207 includesinformation “UNABLE TO COOPERATE”, the display control section 103 ofthe home controller 100 lowers the brightness of the toilet icon 60401compared to the brightness of the toilet icon 60401 on the basic screen.

In this way, in the case where the cooperation type 61304 of the device200 is “UNABLE TO COOPERATE” and the device 200 does not cooperate withthe television set 209, the brightness of the device icon 501 is loweredif the contacting object 60201 long-presses the device icon 501 (in theembodiment, the toilet icon 60401). As a result, the user can beinformed, by exploiting the existing display resource, that informationindicating the state of the device 200 is not displayed before thedevice icon 501 is dragged to the television set icon 60101.

Therefore, a plurality of steps can be omitted since it is not necessaryto prepare a separate display screen for showing that informationindicating the state of the toilet 207 is not displayed on the display60204 of the television set 209, and to reduce the number of processsteps to be performed within the home controller 100 or the number ofoperations to be performed by the user. In addition, it is possible topreliminarily prevent an erroneous operation by the user in which thetoilet icon 60401 is dropped on the television set icon 60101 in thecase where information indicating the state of the toilet 207 is notdisplayed on the display 60204 of the television set 209.

FIG. 80 is a diagram showing a display example for a case where thedevice icon 501 to be dragged passes through the device icon 501 for thedevice 200 other than the first device (with the cooperation type 61304being “WITH DISPLAY”).

In the display state of the basic screen shown in FIG. 72, the touchpanel control section 102 of the home controller 100 senses that the airconditioner icon 60102 is dragged by the contacting object 60201. Then,as described with reference to the upper left diagram of FIG. 74, thedisplay control section 103 of the home controller 100 lowers thebrightness of the device icons 501 other than the television set icon60101 and the air conditioner icon 60102 compared to the brightness ofthe television set icon 60101 and the air conditioner icon 60102.

Then, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100senses that the air conditioner icon 60102 overlaps on the illuminationdevice icon 60104 as shown in FIG. 80 while the contacting object 60201is dragging the air conditioner icon 60102. Then, the display controlsection 103 of the home controller 100 lowers the brightness of the airconditioner icon 60102.

As shown in FIG. 77, the cooperation type 61304 of the illuminationdevice 202 corresponding to the illumination device icon 60104 is“WITHOUT DISPLAY” and not “WITH DISPLAY”. That is, the illuminationdevice 202 is the second device and not the first device. Therefore, thestate confirmation screen 60203 cannot be displayed even if the airconditioner icon 60102 is dropped on the illumination device icon 60104.

Thus, it can be judged that display cannot be made at the time pointwhen the air conditioner icon 60102 overlaps on the illumination deviceicon 60104. Therefore, the display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 lowers the brightness of the air conditioner icon 60102at the time point when the touch panel control section 102 of the homecontroller 100 senses that the air conditioner icon 60102 overlaps onthe illumination device icon 60104.

That is, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100lowers the brightness of the air conditioner icon 60102 while the airconditioner icon 60102 overlaps on the illumination device icon 60104even if the air conditioner icon 60102 is dragged and passing over theillumination device icon 60104 without being dropped on the illuminationdevice icon 60104. Consequently, it is possible to immediately informthe user that the state confirmation screen 60203 cannot be displayedeven if the air conditioner icon 60102 is dropped on the illuminationdevice icon 60104. As a result, it is possible to prevent an erroneousoperation by the user in which the air conditioner icon 60102 is droppedon the illumination device icon 60104.

In FIG. 80, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100lowers the brightness of the air conditioner icon 60102 while the airconditioner icon 60102 overlaps on the illumination device icon 60104.However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The displaycontrol section 103 may lower the brightness of the air conditioner icon60102 in the same manner as the brightness of the device icons 501 otherthan the television set icon 60101 and the air conditioner icon 60102 ifthe touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100 sensesthat the air conditioner icon 60102 is dropped on the illuminationdevice icon 60104, for example. In this case, it is possible toconveniently inform the user that the air conditioner icon 60102 iserroneously dropped on the device icon 501 other than the television seticon 60101.

FIG. 81 is a diagram showing a display example for a case where thedevice 200 corresponding to the device icon 501 on which the device icon501 is dropped is not the first device (with the cooperation type 61304being “WITH DISPLAY”).

The touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100 sensesthat the contacting object 60201 is moved away with the air conditionericon 60102 dragged by the contacting object 60201 overlapping on theillumination device icon 60104 (that is, the air conditioner icon 60102is dropped on the illumination device icon 60104) as shown in the upperdiagram of FIG. 81. Then, the display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 retracts the air conditioner icon 60102 to a locationoutside the display region of the illumination device icon 60104 asshown in the lower diagram of FIG. 81.

Consequently, the user can be informed, by exploiting the existingdisplay resource, that the state confirmation screen 60203 is notdisplayed on the display 60204 of the television set 209 even if the airconditioner icon 60102 is dropped on the illumination device icon 60104.

Therefore, a plurality of steps can be omitted since it is not necessaryto prepare a separate display screen for showing that informationindicating the state of the air conditioner 201 is not displayed on thedisplay 60204 of the television set 209, and to reduce the number ofprocess steps to be performed within the home controller 100 or thenumber of operations to be performed by the user. In addition, it ispossible to prevent the user from repeatedly performing an erroneousoperation in which the air conditioner icon 60102 is dropped on thedevice icon 501 other than the television set icon 60101.

FIG. 82 is a diagram showing another display example for a case wherethe device 200 corresponding to the device icon 501 on which the deviceicon 501 is dropped is not the first device (with the cooperation type61304 being “WITH DISPLAY”).

The touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100 sensesthat the contacting object 60201 is moved away with the air conditionericon 60102 dragged by the contacting object 60201 overlapping on theillumination device icon 60104 (that is, the air conditioner icon 60102is dropped on the illumination device icon 60104) as shown in the upperdiagram of FIG. 82. Then, the display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 retracts the air conditioner icon 60102 to the originaldisplay position as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 82.

Consequently, the user can be informed, by exploiting the existingdisplay resource, that the state confirmation screen 60203 is notdisplayed on the display 60204 of the television set 209 even if the airconditioner icon 60102 is dropped on the illumination device icon 60104.

Therefore, a plurality of steps can be omitted since it is not necessaryto prepare a separate display screen for showing that informationindicating the state of the air conditioner 201 is not displayed on thedisplay 60204 of the television set 209, and to reduce the number ofprocess steps to be performed within the home controller 100 or thenumber of operations to be performed by the user. In addition, it ispossible to prevent the user from repeatedly performing an erroneousoperation in which the air conditioner icon 60102 is dropped on thedevice icon 501 other than the television set icon 60101.

FIG. 83 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the homecontroller 100 to control display of the state confirmation screen60203.

First, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100determines whether or not the contacting object 60201 contacts thedevice icon 501 for the second device (S61001). If a contact of thecontacting object 60201 with the device icon 501 for the second deviceis not sensed (NO in S61001), the flow is terminated.

If the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100 sensesa contact of the contacting object 60201 with the device icon 501 forthe second device (YES in S61001), the touch panel control section 102determines whether or not the contact between the contacting object60201 and the device icon 501 for the second device is made bylong-pressing an icon (S61002).

If the touch panel control section 102 determines that the contactbetween the contacting object 60201 and the device icon 501 for thesecond device is not made by long-pressing an icon, that is, the contactis made by tapping on an icon (NO in S61002), the process proceeds to ahome controller display control process sub routine (S61003). Afterthat, the flow is terminated. That is, if the toilet icon 60401 istapped on by the contacting object 60201, for example, the process isadvanced to S61003.

If the touch panel control section 102 determines that the contactbetween the contacting object 60201 and the device icon 501 for thesecond device is made by long-pressing an icon (YES in S61002). on theother hand, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100determines whether or not the device 200 corresponding to the deviceicon 501 for the second device involved in the contact is a seconddevice that is able to cooperate (S61004). That is, if the airconditioner icon 60102 or the toilet icon 60401 is dragged by thecontacting object 60201, for example, the process is advanced to S61004.

If the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 determinesin S61004 that the device 200 corresponding to the device icon 501 forthe second device involved in the contact is not a second device that isable to cooperate (NO in S61004), the process proceeds to anunable-to-cooperate display process sub routine (S61005). After that,the flow is terminated.

If the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 determinesin S61004 that the device 200 corresponding to the device icon 501 forthe second device involved in the contact is a second device that isable to cooperate (YES in S61004), the process proceeds to a stateconfirmation screen display control process sub routine (S61006). Afterthat, the flow is terminated.

That is, in the case where the air conditioner icon 60102 is dragged bythe contacting object 60201, for example, the process is advanced toS61005. Meanwhile, in the case where the toilet icon 60401 is dragged bythe contacting object 60201, for example, the process is advanced toS61006.

FIG. 84 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process of the homecontroller display control process sub routine in S61003 of FIG. 83.

First, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100acquires display information from the server 300 (S61008). S61008 may beexecuted in the following procedure. That is, the communication controlsection 107 of the home controller 100 requests acquisition of displayinformation from the server 300. Based on the request, the homeinformation management section 301 of the server 300 prepares displayinformation from device state information stored in the storage section304. The communication control section 307 of the server 300 transmitsthe prepared display information to the home controller 100. Thecommunication control section 107 of the home controller 100 receivesthe transmitted display information. The display control section 103 ofthe home controller 100 may acquire display information in such aprocedure.

Subsequently, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100causes the display 101 to display the state confirmation screen 60203 asoverlapped on the floor plan 500 on the basis of the display informationacquired from the server 300 (S61009).

Next, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100determines whether or not selection of a location outside the region ofthe state confirmation screen 60203 is sensed (S61010). That is, inS61010, the touch panel control section 102 determines whether or not alocation outside the region of the state confirmation screen 60203 istapped on by the contacting object 60201. If the touch panel controlsection 102 does not sense selection of a location outside the region ofthe state confirmation screen 60203 (NO in S61010), the process standsby.

If the touch panel control section 102 senses selection of a locationoutside the region of the state confirmation screen 60203 (YES inS61010), on the other hand, the display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 returns the display screen on the display 101 to theoriginal screen (S610102), and the flow is terminated.

FIG. 85 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process of theunable-to-cooperate display process sub routine in S61005 of FIG. 83.

First, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 lowersthe brightness of the device icon 501 for the second device contacted bythe contacting object 60201 (S61011). Subsequently, the touch panelcontrol section 102 of the home controller 100 determines whether or nottermination of the contact between the contacting object 60201 and thedevice icon 501 is sensed (S61012).

If the touch panel control section 102 does not sense termination of thecontact between the contacting object 60201 and the device icon 501 (NOin S61012), the process returns to S61011. If the touch panel controlsection 102 senses termination of the contact between the contactingobject 60201 and the device icon 501 (YES in S61012), on the other hand,the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 returns thedisplay screen on the display 101 to the original screen (S610122), andthe flow is terminated.

FIG. 86A and FIG. 86B are flowcharts showing the flow of a process ofthe state confirmation screen display control process sub routine inS61006 of FIG. 83.

First, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 lowersthe brightness of the device icons 501 other than the device icon 501for the second device (in FIG. 74, the air conditioner icon 60102)contacted by the contacting object 60201 and the device icon 501 for thefirst device (in FIG. 74, the television set icon 60101) (S61013) asshown in the left diagram of FIG. 74, for example.

Next, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100determines whether or not the device icon 501 for the second devicecontacted by the contacting object 60201 is positioned on the deviceicon 501 for a device other than the first device (S61014).

If the device icon 501 for the second device contacted by the contactingobject 60201 is positioned on the device icon 501 for a device otherthan the first device (YES in S61014), the display control section 103of the home controller 100 lowers the brightness of the device icon 501for the second device contacted by the contacting object 60201 (S61015)as described using FIG. 80, and the process proceeds to S61016.

If the device icon 501 for the second device contacted by the contactingobject 60201 is not positioned on the device icon 501 for devices otherthan the first device (NO in S61014), on the other hand, the processdirectly proceeds to S61016.

In S61016, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller100 determines whether or not termination of the contact between thecontacting object 60201 and the device icon 501 for the second device issensed. If termination of the contact between the contacting object60201 and the device icon 501 for the second device is not sensed (NO inS61016), the process returns to S61013, and the steps described aboveare repeatedly performed.

If the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100 sensestermination of the contact between the contacting object 60201 and thedevice icon 501 for the second device (YES in S61016), on the otherhand, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100determines the position at which the contact between the contactingobject 60201 and the device icon 501 for the second device is terminated(the position at which the device icon 501 for the second device isdropped) (S610162).

If the position at which the contact between the contacting object 60201and the device icon 501 for the second device is terminated is on thedevice icon 501 for the first device (in the embodiment, the televisionset icon 60101) in S610162, the process proceeds to S61017. If theposition at which the contact between the contacting object 60201 andthe device icon 501 for the second device is terminated is on the deviceicon 501 for a device other than the first device in S610162, that is,if the device icon 501 for the second device is dragged to the deviceicon 501 for a device other than the first device and dropped on thedevice icon 501 for a device other than the first device, the processproceeds to S610163. If the position at which the contact between thecontacting object 60201 and the device icon 501 for the second device isterminated is not on the device icon 501 in S610162, the flow isterminated.

In S610163, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100retracts the device icon 501 for the second device to a location outsidethe display region of the device icon 501 as the movement destination asshown in FIG. 81, or returns the display screen on the display 101 tothe original screen as shown in FIG. 82, and the flow is terminated.

In S61017, the communication control section 107 of the home controller100 transmits a display control command for displaying the stateconfirmation screen 60203 to the server 300. The display control commandincludes information that specifies the second device corresponding tothe device icon 501 contacted by the contacting object 60201.

Next, the display control section 103 of the home controller 100acquires display information from the server 300 (S61018). Subsequently,the display control section 103 of the home controller 100 displays thestate confirmation screen 60203 on the display 101 on the basis of thedisplay information acquired from the server 300 (S61019).

Next, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller 100determines whether or not selection of a location outside the region ofthe state confirmation screen 60203 is sensed (S61021). That is, inS61021, the touch panel control section 102 determines whether or not alocation outside the region of the state confirmation screen 60203 istapped on by the contacting object 60201. If the touch panel controlsection 102 does not sense selection of a location outside the region ofthe state confirmation screen 60203 (NO in S61021), the process standsby.

If the touch panel control section 102 senses selection of a locationoutside the region of the state confirmation screen 60203 (YES inS61021), on the other hand, the communication control section 107 of thehome controller 100 transmits a termination control command forterminating display of the state confirmation screen 60203 to the server300 (S61022). Subsequently, the display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 returns the display screen on the display 101 to theoriginal screen (S610222), and the flow is terminated.

FIG. 87 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the server 300to control display of the state confirmation screen 60203.

First, the communication control section 307 of the server 300determines whether or not a display control command is received from thehome controller 100 (S61101). If a display control command is notreceived from the home controller 100 (NO in S61101), the flow isterminated.

If a display control command is received from the home controller 100(YES in S61101), on the other hand, the home information managementsection 301 of the server 300 searches the storage section 304 to obtainstate information on the second device on the basis of the informationthat specifies the second device included in the display control command(S61102). Next, the home information management section 301 of theserver 300 prepares display information for displaying the stateconfirmation screen 60203 on the basis of the found state information onthe second device (S61103).

Subsequently, the communication control section 307 of the server 300transmits a display command for displaying the state confirmation screen60203 to the first device (in the embodiment, the television set 209)(S61104). Subsequently, the communication control section 307 of theserver 300 receives a request to acquire display information from thecommunication control section 107 of the home controller 100 (S61105).Through S61105, the home controller 100 acquires display information.Next, the communication control section 307 of the server 300 receives arequest to acquire display information from the communication controlsection of the first device (in the embodiment, the communicationcontrol section 217 of the television set 209) (S61106). Through S61106,the television set 209 acquires display information. Then, the flow isterminated.

FIG. 88 is a flowchart showing the flow of a process for the televisionset 209 to display the state confirmation screen 60203.

First, the communication control section 217 of the television set 209determines whether or not a display command is received from the server300 (S61201). If a display command is not received (NO in S61201), theflow is terminated. If the communication control section 217 receives adisplay command from the server 300 (YES in S61201), on the other hand,the control execution section 211 of the television set 209 determineswhether or not the television set 209 is turned on (S61202).

If the television set 209 is not turned on (NO in S61202), the controlexecution section 211 of the television set 209 turns on the televisionset 209 (S61205), and the process proceeds to S61203. The controlexecution section 211 of the television set 209 may turn on thetelevision set 209 on the basis of a command included in the displaycontrol command transmitted from the home controller 100 to the server300 or a command included in the display command transmitted from theserver 300 to the television set 209.

If the television set 209 is turned on (YES in S61202), thecommunication control section 217 of the television set 209 acquiresdisplay information on the second device from the server 300 (S61203).Next, the control execution section 211 of the television set 209displays the state confirmation screen 60203 for the second device onthe display 60204 on the basis of the acquired display information(S61206).

Subsequently, the communication control section 217 of the televisionset 209 determines whether or not a termination command is received fromthe server 300 (S61204). If a termination command is not received (NO inS61204), the process stands by. If the communication control section 217receives a termination command from the server 300 (YES in S61204), onthe other hand, the control execution section 211 of the television set209 performs a predetermined termination process such as restoring theoriginal display screen on the display 60204 or turning off the display60204 (S61207). The flow is thus terminated.

In FIG. 73 and FIG. 83 to FIG. 88, the server 300 prepares displayinformation from the state information on the device 200 (for example,the consumed electric power amount list 61401 shown in FIG. 78). Thedisplay information prepared by the server 300 may be the stateconfirmation screen 60203 itself. Alternatively, the display informationprepared by the server 300 may be interim information obtained byprocessing the state information on the device 200, and the homecontroller 100 and the television set 209 may prepare the stateconfirmation screen 60203 on the basis of the interim information. Stillalternatively, the server 300 may simply transmit the state informationon the device 200, and the home controller 100 and the television set209 may prepare the state confirmation screen 60203 on the basis of thestate information.

In the embodiment, in addition, the state confirmation screen 60203displayed on the home controller 100 and the television set 209 (forexample, the upper right diagram and the lower right diagram of FIG. 74)is a screen obtained by processing the state information on the device200 (for example, the consumed electric power amount list 61401 shown inFIG. 78). Alternatively, the state confirmation screen displayed on thehome controller 100 and the television set 209 may be the stateinformation on the device 200 (the consumed electric power amount list61401 shown in FIG. 78). That is, the server 300 may transmit the stateinformation on the device 200 to the home controller 100 and thetelevision set 209 as the display information. Then, the home controller100 and the television set 209 may display the state information on thedevice 200 transmitted from the server 300 as the state confirmationscreen.

As described using FIG. 83 and FIG. 84, when the touch panel controlsection 102 of the home controller 100 senses that selection of thedevice icon 501 for the second device by the contacting object 60201 isnot performed by, what is called, long-pressing the device icon 501, thedisplay control section 103 of the home controller 100 causes thedisplay 101 to display the state confirmation screen 60203 as overlappedon the floor plan 500.

Thus, in the case where it is desired to conveniently confirm the stateconfirmation screen 60203 on the display 101 of the home controller 100,rather than on the display 60204 of the television set 209, the deviceicon 501 for the second device may be tapped on, rather than beinglong-pressed, by the contacting object 60201.

In addition, the touch panel control section 102 of the home controller100 senses that selection of the toilet icon 60401 which represents thetoilet 207 which does not cooperate with the television set 209, forexample, is performed by tapping on, rather than by long-pressing, thetoilet icon 60401. Then, the display control section 103 of the homecontroller 100 displays the state confirmation screen 60203 for thetoilet 207 on the display 101 of the home controller 100.

Thus, the state confirmation screen 60203 for the toilet 207, whichcannot be displayed on the display 60204 of the television set 209 sincethe toilet 207 does not cooperate with the television set 209, can bedisplayed on the display 101 of the home controller 100.

It should be noted, however, that the server 300 does not store theconsumed electric power amount list 61401 for the toilet 207 asdescribed with reference to FIG. 78. Thus, in the case where the toileticon 60401 is tapped on by the contacting object 60201, the displaycontrol section 103 of the home controller 100 acquires information thatindicates the state of the toilet 207 stored in the storage section 214of the toilet 207, for example the consumed electric power amount, fromthe toilet 207. Further, the display control section 103 preparesdisplay information for display on the display 101, that is, the stateconfirmation screen 60203, from the acquired information, and displaysthe prepared state confirmation screen 60203 on the display 101.

As described above, the server 300 may store the consumed electric poweramount list 61401 for the toilet 207. In such a case, the displaycontrol section 103 can display the state confirmation screen 60203 forthe toilet 207 on the display 101 in the procedure shown in FIG. 84.

FIG. 89 is a diagram showing an operation example for a device icon fora case where the floor plan 5200 described with reference to FIG. 52 isused.

As shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 89, the display control section103 displays the basic screen including the floor plan 5200, the deviceicons 501, and so forth on the display 101 of the home controller 100.In this display state, the contacting object 60201 is caused to contactthe air conditioner icon 60102 as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 89,the air conditioner icon 60102 is dragged, and the touch panel controlsection 102 senses that the air conditioner icon 60102 is dropped on thetelevision set icon 60101 as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 89.

Also in this case, similarly, the state confirmation screen 60203 can bedisplayed on the display 101 of the home controller 100 as shown in theupper right diagram of FIG. 74, and the state confirmation screen 60203can be displayed on the display 60204 of the television set 209 as shownin the lower right diagram of FIG. 74.

FIG. 90 is a diagram showing another example of the sequence ofoperation for displaying the state confirmation screen 60203. In theexample of FIG. 90, the server 300 is not used to display the stateconfirmation screen 60203.

First, in S61601, the device state (for example, the consumed electricpower amount) of the air conditioner 201 managed by the state managementsection 212 of the air conditioner 201 is stored in the storage section214. S61601 is executed asynchronously with the other steps. S60703 isthe same as S60703 of FIG. 73.

In S61602, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100generates a display control command for displaying the stateconfirmation screen 60203 for the air conditioner 201 on the televisionset 209, the communication control section 107 transmits the generateddisplay control command, and the communication control section 217 ofthe air conditioner 201 receives the transmitted display controlcommand. The display control command generated by the device controlsection 106 may include a command for turning on the television set 209when the television set 209 is not turned on.

In S61603, the state management section 212 of the air conditioner 201prepares display information on the basis of information that indicatesthe device state of the air conditioner 201 stored in the storagesection 214 of the air conditioner 201. In S61604, the communicationcontrol section 107 of the home controller 100 requests acquisition ofthe display information from the air conditioner 201, and acquires therequested display information. S60707 is the same as S60707 of FIG. 73.

In S61605, the device control section 106 of the home controller 100generates a display command on the basis of the display control commandgenerated in S61602, the communication control section 107 transmits thegenerated display command, and the communication control section 217 ofthe television set 209 receives the transmitted display command. Thedisplay command generated by the device control section 106 may includea command for turning on the television set 209 when the television set209 is not turned on.

In S61606, the communication control section 217 of the television set209 requests acquisition of the prepared display information from theair conditioner 201, and acquires the requested display information.S60710 is the same as S60710 of FIG. 73.

In this way, also in the case where the server 300 is not used, as inthe case where the server 300 is used, the state confirmation screen60203 can be displayed on the display 101 of the home controller 100,and the state confirmation screen 60203 can be displayed on the display60204 of the television set 209.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure provides a useful method for controlling aninformation apparatus connected to a network, a first target device anda second target device being controlled over the network, theinformation apparatus being provided in an information management systemthat manages information indicating the state of the second targetdevice, in which the information indicating the state of the secondtarget device can be displayed on a first display of the first targetdevice, and also provides a program for such a control method.

1. A method for controlling an information apparatus connected to anetwork, a first target device and a second target device beingcontrolled over the network, the first target device having a firstdisplay, the second target device having no display or having a seconddisplay which is smaller in display area than the first display, theinformation apparatus having a third display and being used in aninformation management system which manages information indicating astate of the second target device, the method causing a computer of theinformation apparatus to: display a display screen representing at leastone floor plan of a building on the third display; display device iconsrepresenting target devices including the first target device and thesecond target device on the display screen representing the at least onefloor plan, the device icons being movable by dragging the device icons;and when it is sensed that a device icon representing the second targetdevice is dropped on a device icon representing the first target device,output to the information management system a first control command fordisplaying a confirmation screen on the first display of the firsttarget device, the confirmation screen being for confirmation of thestate of the second target device.
 2. The method according to claim 1,wherein when it is not sensed that the device icon representing thesecond target device is dropped on the device icon representing thefirst target device, and when it is sensed that the device iconrepresenting the second target device is selected, the informationindicating the state of the second target device is received from theinformation management system, and the confirmation screen is displayedon the third display as overlapped on the display screen representingthe at least one floor plan.
 3. The method according to claim 1, whereinin a case where the second target device and the first target devicecooperate with each other and the confirmation screen can be displayedon the first display of the first target device, when it is sensed thatthe device icon representing the second target device is selected,display of an other device icon which is other than the device iconrepresenting the first target device and the device icon representingthe second target device is changed to display which is darker thandisplay of the device icon representing the first target device and thedevice icon representing the second target device.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 3, wherein when it is sensed that the device iconrepresenting the second target device is dropped on the other deviceicon, display of the device icon representing the second target deviceis changed to darker display as with the display of the other deviceicon.
 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein in a case where thesecond target device and the first target device do not cooperate witheach other and the confirmation screen cannot be displayed on the firstdisplay of the first target device, when it is sensed that selection ofthe device icon representing the second target device is continued fornot less than a predetermined time, display of the device iconrepresenting the second target device is changed to display which isdarker than display of an other device icon which is other than thedevice icon representing the second target device.
 6. The methodaccording to claim 5, wherein in a case where the second target deviceand the first target device do not cooperate with each other and theconfirmation screen cannot be displayed on the first display of thefirst target device, when it is judged that a time of sensing selectionof the device icon representing the second target device is less thanthe predetermined time, the information indicating the state of thesecond target device is received from the information management system,and the confirmation screen is displayed on the third display asoverlapped on the display screen representing the at least one floorplan.
 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein when it is sensed thatthe device icon representing the second target device is dropped on adevice icon, which is other than the device icon representing the firsttarget device, the device icon representing the second target device isretracted to a location outside a display region of the device iconrepresenting the first target device on which the device iconrepresenting the second target device is dropped.
 8. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein when it is sensed that the device iconrepresenting the second target device is dropped on the device iconwhich is other than the device icon representing the first targetdevice, the device icon representing the second target device isretracted to an original display position of the device iconrepresenting the second target device.
 9. The method according to claim1, wherein in a case where the second target device and the first targetdevice cooperate with each other and the confirmation screen can bedisplayed on the first display of the first target device, when it issensed that selection of the device icon representing the second targetdevice is continued for not less than a predetermined time, display ofan other device icon other than the device icon representing the firsttarget device and the device icon representing the second target deviceis changed to display which is darker than display of the device iconrepresenting the first target device and the device icon representingthe second target device.
 10. The method according to claim 9, whereinin a case where the second target device and the first target devicecooperate with each other and the confirmation screen can be displayedon the first display of the first target device, when it is judged thata time of sensing selection of the device icon representing the secondtarget device is less than the predetermined time, the informationindicating the state of the second target device is received from theinformation management system, and the confirmation screen is displayedon the third display as overlapped on the display screen representingthe at least one floor plan.
 11. The method according to claim 1,wherein in a case where the first target device is not turned on whenthe first control command is output to the information managementsystem, a second control command for turning on the first target deviceis output to the information management system.
 12. The method accordingto claim 1, wherein the information indicating the state of the secondtarget device includes log information related to a use history of thesecond target device.
 13. The method according to claim 1, wherein theinformation indicating the state of the second target device includesinformation indicating a consumed electric power amount of the secondtarget device.
 14. The method according to claim 2, wherein indisplaying the confirmation screen on the third display as overlapped onthe display screen, display of the display screen is changed to displaywhich is darker than display of the confirmation screen.
 15. The methodaccording to claim 14, wherein when it is sensed that a location outsidea region of the confirmation screen is selected, display of theconfirmation screen is erased, and the display screen is changed todisplay with original brightness.
 16. The method according to claim 1,wherein the first target device is a television set.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the second target device includes one of arefrigerator, an illumination device, an air conditioner, and a washingmachine.
 18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the third displayis a touch panel display, and the device icon is dragged when contact onthe touch panel display is sensed.
 19. The method according to claim 1,wherein the device icon is dragged by clicking a mouse pointer.
 20. Amethod for controlling an information apparatus connected to a network,a first target device and a second target device being controlled overthe network, the first target device having a first display, the secondtarget device having no display or having a second display which issmaller in display area than the first display, the informationapparatus having a third display and being used in an informationmanagement system which manages information indicating a state of thesecond target device, the method causing a computer of the informationapparatus to: display a display screen representing at least one floorplan of a building on the third display; display device iconsrepresenting target devices including the first target device and thesecond target device on the display screen representing the at least onefloor plan, the device icons being movable by dragging the device icons;judge whether a device icon representing the second target device isdropped on a device icon representing the first target device, orwhether it is sensed that the device icon representing the second targetdevice is selected; in a case where it is judged that the device iconrepresenting the second target device is dropped on the device iconrepresenting the first target device, output to the informationmanagement system a first control command for displaying a confirmationscreen for confirmation of the state of the second target device on thefirst display of the first target device; and in a case where it is notjudged that the device icon representing the second target device isdropped on the device icon representing the first target device, andwhere it is sensed that the device icon representing the second targetdevice is selected, receive the information indicating the state of thesecond target device from the information management system, and displaythe confirmation screen on the third display as overlapped on thedisplay screen representing the at least one floor plan.
 21. Anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium which stores a programto be executed by an information apparatus connected to a network, afirst target device and a second target device being controlled over thenetwork, the first target device having a first display, the secondtarget device having no display or having a second display which issmaller in display area than the first display, the informationapparatus having a display and being used in an information managementsystem which manages information indicating a state of the second targetdevice, the program causing a computer of the information apparatus to:display a display screen representing at least one floor plan of abuilding on the third display; display device icons representing targetdevices including the first target device and the second target deviceon the display screen representing the at least one floor plan, thedevice icons being movable by dragging the device icons; and when it issensed that a device icon representing the second target device isdropped on a device icon representing the first target device, output tothe information management system a first control command for displayinga confirmation screen on the first display of the first target device,the confirmation screen being for confirmation of the state of thesecond target device.